Underneath it All
by teeney8040
Summary: Set immediately after the egging incident...someone helps Rachel and it's not who you might expect it to be.  Slash!
1. You're really lovely

A.N. Hi all…this is my first Glee fic so I hope you'll go easy on me with this one. Just a little something I've had on my mind for a while. I hope you enjoy!

P

"Are you okay?"

Rachel didn't look up from picking eggshells from her hair. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes after what she'd just been through.

"Rach, look at me," the voice behind her requested tenderly.

Fighting the tears that were threatening, Rachel shook her head.

Suddenly there was a gentle hand on Rachel's arm, guiding her around. Her eyes remained downcast until a hand under her chin tilted her head up and forced her to meet concerned dark eyes.

Rachel met Santana's gaze, her eyes swimming with tears. The cheerleader frowned, cupping the other girl's face tenderly between her hands, swiping at a few tears with the pads of her thumbs as they fell. "Please tell me these aren't tears of sadness that he finally let you go."

Rachel shook her head quickly. "Of course not. It was just humiliating."

Santana's frown deepened, a crease forming between her eyebrows. She shook her head and her eyes swept over the girl before her, checking for physical damage and any remaining eggshells. "He's really lucky I'm not kicking his ass right now. I could kill him for this."

Rachel shook her head. "He's not worth it."

"He's lucky I only broke his nose," Santana said nonchalantly as she turned the other girl around in front of her.

"What?" Rachel asked, her eyes going wide. She caught sight of a smirk playing on Santana's lips in the reflection in the mirror.

"I caught the tail end of his performance." The cheerleader shrugged as she picked shell remnants from Rachel's hair. "Do you really think anyone can get away with egging you without suffering consequences? Oh hell no."

"You broke his nose?" Rachel questioned, a slight smile working its way onto her lips.

Santana grinned when she realize that she'd done something right and she nodded. "It would have been a lot worse, believe me. I was ready to ensure he never has children but that old chick from their group got a bit crazy and there were lots more of them than me so I decided my time would be better spent making sure you were okay."

It was only then that Rachel noticed the other girl's left hand was swollen. She reached for the hand, cradling it gently as she turned, and brought it to her lips, dropping several tender kisses to the swollen knuckles.

"I know you liked him a little," Santana mumbled quietly. At Rachel's look she shrugged. "You had to have liked him a little to date him."

Rachel's eyes dropped for a moment and she shrugged. "Maybe a little. It was more about his talent than anything else. He was good for the club." Her eyes met the taller girl's and she smiled. "You're the one I love."

Santana grinned and leaned in to capture her girlfriend's lips in a kiss. "Good answer."

"I'm so tired of keeping up appearances though," Rachel sighed as she reached for more paper towels to rinse the egg from her hair.

Santana saw the other girl's discomfort with the eggs and reached for the paper towels herself. She ran several under the warm water and made herself busy getting as much raw egg from her girlfriend's hair as she could.

"I am too," Santana admitted.

"So what are we doing?" Rachel asked with a frustrated sigh. She turned towards the other girl again and wrapped her arms around Santana's neck, pulling her close and kissing her soundly.

Santana pulled back enough to study the stunning brunette before her and she reached up to brush a few egg-soaked strands of hair from Rachel's eyes. "Rach, I'm not sure what happens if we go public. Puck shaved his stupid boy-hawk and got thrown into dumpsters. Who's to say worse won't happen to us?"

"I've lived with worse," Rachel pointed out gently. "But I get it."

Santana sighed deeply and her hands sought out familiar curves of Rachel's hips and she pulled the diva closer to her. "Do you hate me for being so afraid?"

Rachel shook her head, dropping another chaste kiss to the taller girl's lips. "Of course not. It was my idea to keep these stupid appearances up in the first place."

"Well I went along with it pretty readily," Santana mumbled with a sigh.

"Maybe we could try telling just a few select people," Rachel suggested quietly.

Santana considered the thought for a moment before raising one slim eyebrow. "Like a few people from glee?"

Rachel shrugged one slim shoulder and placed a hand on her girlfriend's cheek gently, smiling when the other girl leaned into her touch. "Maybe."

Santana considered this for a moment as Rachel turned back to the mirror and took in her appearance. "I can't imagine they would be bad about it…especially with Kurt."

"They'll probably be more mad that we've been lying to them," Rachel mumbled. She looked down at her clothes. "I don't think I can go out there looking like this."

Santana gazed at her lovingly before kissing her. "I'll find you something. Stay put. I'll be back."

Rachel managed to steal a final kiss before watching her girlfriend take off in search of something without eggs for her to wear.

Ten minutes later Santana returned with several items and handed them to Rachel. "I only had workout clothes in my locker. Sorry."

Rachel shook her head. "Thank you."

Santana stood guard as Rachel slipped into a stall and changed clothes. A minute later she emerged and glanced down at herself when she caught the look Santana was giving her. "What?"

Santana smirked and took a step closer to her,. She reached out and gathered a handful of tee shirt in her hand and pulled Rachel in close for a kiss. "You look _really_ good in my clothes."

Rachel blushed and returned the kiss fervently.

"Of course we already knew that," Santana further explained. "Ever since the night you wore that black lacy thing."

Both girls suddenly sprang apart as they heard voices approach and a moment later the door swung open and Mercedes and Tina walked in. The two stopped when they saw Rachel and Santana in the girls' room together.

"Everything okay?" Mercedes asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah…"

"Jesse St. Bastard and those Vocal Adrenaline asses decided it would be fun to egg Rachel," Santana explained, hating the loss of contact between them. "I was just getting her something else to wear."

"They egged you?" Tina asked, her eyes wide.

"Oh _hell_ no," Mercedes grumbled before turning and heading out of the room.

"Mercedes, wait!" Rachel called. "It's not worth it."

"She told me the same thing," Santana told them with thinly disguised rage creeping into her voice.

"We should at least tell Mr. Schue," Mercedes relented as she turned back to them.

Rachel shook her head, shooting a quick glance to Santana, who had slipped effortlessly back into the role of hating all their guts. "I just want to go home and shower."

"Will you at least tell everyone everything tomorrow?" Tina asked.

Rachel couldn't help but think about the conversation she'd just had with Santana about telling at least a few people in glee about them. It seemed she had lots to confessions to make at some point in the near future. She nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Mercedes nodded and linked an arm through Rachel's. "We'll walk you out so you don't have to worry about any of them hanging around."

"Thank you for the help, Santana," Rachel said, not allowing any sort of familiarity to creep into her voice.

"Whatever," Santana mumbled. She rolled her eyes and pretended to check her make up in the mirror, trying not to let her gaze fall to her girlfriend.

Tina followed along behind them, waving hesitantly at the cheerleader they left behind.

"Later, Santana," Mercedes called over her shoulder.

Santana watched as the three of them walked away down the hall and she couldn't help the smile that slid onto her lips when Rachel couldn't resist looking behind her to send her one final smile.

P

A.N. Well, what do you guys think so far? Please let me know if you think I should continue! Thanks for reading!


	2. You want to love me

A.N. Thanks for all the reviews guys! Next part…enjoy!

P

An hour later, Rachel pulled her front door open and grinned when she found Santana armed with several bags of goodies for their night together.

"Hi," Rachel greeted, pulling her inside, careful to mind her swollen hand. "Let me help you."

"Hey." Santana leaned in for a kiss when she was close enough and handed the bags in her left hand over to the other brunette. "Thanks."

Rachel began spying through the bags as they headed for the kitchen. "Did you get the gummy bears?"

Santana fixed her with a look. "Do I ever forget your gummy bears?"

"No," Rachel answered with a loving smile. "And that's why I love you."

"I never would have guessed you're this easy to please," Santana remarked as she set the rest of her bags down in the kitchen.

"Never mess with a girl's gummy bears," Rachel pointed out with a wink.

"Noted," the cheerleader responded with a grin. That's when she noticed something strange. "Rach, you still haven't showered to get the egg out of your hair."

Rachel shook her head, slightly embarrassed. "I had to make a stop on my way home and it took longer than I expected."

"You didn't stop to kill St. Jackass and bury his body did you?" Santana asked with a playful wary glance.

Rachel laughed and Santana found she nearly melted every time she heard the other girl laugh. "No. Nothing like that."

When the diva didn't continue, Santana raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you don't plan on sharing?"

Rachel suddenly smiled, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Let's just say I have a surprise for you later."

"Oh really?" Santana questioned, one slim eyebrow raised. "When do I get this surprise?"

"Well, I'm going to shower and then we can have dinner and maybe then I'll let you take me upstairs for dessert," Rachel purred as she took a step towards the taller girl and wrapped her arms around her.

"So the gummy bears weren't dessert?" Santana asked, her voice taking on a rather husky tone.

Rachel felt her body instantly react to her girlfriend's voice and she shook her head. "No."

Santana smirked and leaned in to kiss her slowly. As her lips and tongue danced with Rachel's she pulled her closer so their bodies were flush. She could feel Rachel's heart thudding against her own chest and she wrapped a hand in long, dark tresses, keeping her close.

"You sure you don't want to skip to dessert?" the cheerleader asked slyly.

"Trust me, it'll be worth the wait," Rachel insisted as she pulled away before things could get more heated between them. "Take out menus are on the fridge and Daddy left cash on the counter. Order whatever!"

Santana sighed, a smile playing on her lips as she watched the other girl head upstairs for her shower. Even from the kitchen she could hear 'Defying Gravity' over the dull roar of the shower a few minutes later. She rolled her eyes at herself when she found herself harmonizing the parts she could as she looked over the take-out menus.

She listened and waited for the high F in the song and rolled her eyes knowing _just_ how smitten she was as she picked up her cell and ordered their usual from the Chinese place down the street.

P

Rachel opened the door to her bedroom later that night and smiled. There were clusters of small candles lit around the room and soft music was playing. Santana was stretched out along her bed looking positively ravishing.

Her eyes found Santana's when she heard a gasp and that's when she remembered her little surprise. She was clad in nothing but a black lacy bra and matching panties that she'd picked out earlier.

"You've been holding out on me, Berry," the cheerleader mumbled as she rolled off the bed and slowly approached.

Rachel shrugged. "You mentioned liking black lace earlier."

"I certainly like _you_ in black lace," Santana clarified, her eyes never leaving the body in front of her. She closed the distance between them slowly, her hands instantly seeking the skin of the other girl's waist.

Rachel slid one hand around the cheerleader and wrapped the other in her hair as they moved impossibly close and caught each other in a slow, languid kiss.

"You look amazing," Santana whispered against her lips as her hands roamed the expanse of her girlfriend's bare stomach.

Rachel grinned. "Glad you like it."

"Mmhm," Santana agreed with a nod. Her lips dropped to Rachel's neck, knowing there was a particularly sensitive spot there that she wanted to pay some attention to.

Rachel's hands suddenly grew impatient and she reached for the hem of her girlfriend's top, pulling it over her head slowly. Once she reclaimed Santana's lips her hands made themselves busy discarding the taller girl's jeans.

"Why are you still wearing all of this?" Rachel questioned rather impatiently.

"Sorry," Santana chuckled against the other girl's lips. "I had no idea you were surprising me with _this_."

Instead of responding Rachel backed her up to the bed until her knees hit the mattress and the moment Santana was seated, she slid one leg over her lap, straddling her.

Santana slid her hands up strong thighs and they spent a few moments dancing on the exposed flesh of Rachel's stomach. She pulled back and took in the sight of her girlfriend with mused hair and kiss-swollen lips and she felt her heart tug. "You really are beautiful."

Rachel blushed and ran a hand through the other girl's dark locks, loving the way her eyes closed. "Me? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're the beautiful one."

Santana leaned forward to place several gentle kisses to Rachel's chest, loving the way the other girl's eyes closed instantly.

Rachel leaned in to capture the other girl's lips and she gently guided them back so she was hovering above Santana. They readjusted themselves so they were both lying on the bed properly before Santana captured the other girl's lips in a gentle kiss.

Rachel responded quickly, her hands dancing over the expanse of her girlfriend's stomach. Her lips broke the kiss off and quickly made their way to a particularly appealing stretch of skin on Santana's neck.

Santana hissed when teeth suddenly bit down gently and a tongue quickly swiped the bitten area to soothe it.

Rachel giggled a moment later when Santana flipped them over. She knew her reign on top wouldn't last long. Though she found the longer they did this together, the longer Santana would let her stay on top. Not that she minded…top or bottom, as long as she was with the girl now hovering over her, she didn't care.

Rachel reached up and ran her hands through the cheerleader's silky tresses and grabbed a handful in each hand, gently tugging her back down.

Santana grinned when she felt one of Rachel's legs slide up and wrap around her leg, keeping her close.

Rachel's hands began growing impatient again and she reached behind the cheerleader and released the clasp on her bra, pulling on the offending item until she could throw it on the floor.

"As much as I love you in this, I think I'll love you more out of it," Santana mumbled against Rachel's lips.

Rachel pressed her forehead against the other girl's and captured her lips once again, nodding frantically.

Santana flipped them around long enough to remove Rachel's black bra and then rolled them back. She pulled the Rachel as close as she could, loving the way their bodies fit together and the way Rachel's skin felt sliding along hers.

"God, Rach," she breathed. She met the other girl's eyes, their lips a breath apart. "I love you."

Rachel grinned and kissed her soundly; lips and tongues danced wildly. When she pulled back she smiled again. "I love you too."

The rest of their clothes were shed quickly and Rachel pulled Santana as close to her as was humanly possible. They rocked together slowly at first, but their motions grew more frantic with each passing second.

Santana clamped down on her orgasm until she knew Rachel was close and as soon as she heard the other girl release, she allowed herself to as well.

Rachel threw her head back, her eyes practically crossing as waves of pleasure hit her. She felt Santana's lips on her throat and she held the cheerleader as close as she could as they came together.

Once her breathing returned to normal, Santana tried to roll off the other girl, not wanting Rachel to have her full weight on top of her, but Rachel only wrapped her arms around her tighter and refused to let her go.

"I'm too heavy," Santana protested.

Rachel shook her head wordlessly and kissed the cheerleader's temple. She hated that Santana had such an unhealthy body image. In her eyes, the cheerleader had the perfect body, it was toned and had all the right curves, yet Sue Sylvester's constant berating made her feel fat.

"Rach," Santana protested again.

"No," Rachel answered firmly. "Stay right there. You're not too heavy. It feels perfect actually."

"Fine," Santana relented finally. "But if I get too heavy, tell me and I'll move. Coach wants me to lose 10 pounds."

Rachel's jaw clenched and her hatred for Sue Sylvester only burned deeper. "San, you don't need to lose 10 pounds. Your body is absolutely perfect."

"Tell her that," Santana mumbled, suddenly sounding dejected.

"Maybe I will," Rachel replied, her voice taking on an angry bite. "Seriously, I love every _single_ inch of you."

Santana sighed heavily and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Rachel nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Santana moved to untangle herself from Rachel and sighed again when the other girl refused to release her. "Rachel, please let me go."

Rachel swallowed hard and released Santana, watching with a frown as the other girl rolled over and faced away from her. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, debating what to do. She finally rolled over so she could stretch out against her girlfriend's back, allowing skin to touch skin anywhere she possibly could and she draped an arm over the other girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push." She pressed her lips to Santana's shoulder gently.

Santana shook her head and sniffled, swallowing back angry tears. "You're the only person that has ever loved me for me. I'm just not used to it."

"Santana, please look at me," Rachel begged softly.

The Latina rolled over slowly and met Rachel's eyes.

"I know that all you've heard from that horrible woman is how you're too fat and how you need to lose weight, but believe it when I say that you're as close to perfect as a person can get."

"You're only saying that because you love me," the cheerleader mumbled, almost letting a smile slide onto her lips.

"No," Rachel amended immediately. "I love you. But I think your body is perfect anyways."

This time Santana did smile and she pulled Rachel into her body, loving how easily they fit together. "I'm sorry," she sighed.

Rachel shook her head. "I blame her."

"You shouldn't," Santana mumbled. "She told Mercedes the same thing and what does she do? She sings Christina Aguilera. Me? I just fold like a little puppet."

"Mercedes doesn't care about cheering like you do," Rachel told her.

"I know." Santana shook her head. "I'm sorry, my self-pity shit is a total buzz kill."

The corners of Rachel's lips tugged up for a moment and she shook her head. "I'm glad you can talk to me about this stuff. I know it's not easy for you."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Santana suddenly blurted out, her mood turning serious on a dime.

Rachel was taken aback for a moment and she leaned in to kiss the other girl. "Sweetie, no matter what happens, I'm here. Even if something happens and we're not together anymore, I'll always be your friend."

Santana suddenly frowned, her bottom lip protruding just shy of being considered a pout and Rachel found her expression to be the single cutest thing she'd ever seen. "We better stay together."

"We will," Rachel told her with a grin, kissing her bottom lip quickly.

"I love you," Santana told her softly.

Rachel smiled and kissed her again. "I love you too."

P

A.N. Thanks for reading…please let me know what you think!


	3. I'm really lucky

A.N. Next part! Hope you enjoy!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Something weird is going on in glee," Quinn mumbled as she shut her locker.

Puck raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Seems pretty normal to me."

"Rachel's being nice," Quinn pointed out warily. "So she's either in love again or she's quietly plotting our deaths so she can be the only star."

"It's not Finn," Puck said. "He said he asked her out and she said no."

"See, that's not normal behavior," Quinn said, her curiosity growing by the second.

As they passed the music room, they both heard voices coming from inside the room, and a moment later they heard a yell and what sounded like several chairs scraping the floor.

"Don't come any closer to me!" Rachel Berry's voice suddenly ordered from inside the room.

Puck and Quinn exchanged a wide-eyed look and headed for the door. As he flung the door open, Puck noticed one of the football players closing in on Rachel who was backed into a corner, one hand out in front of her defensively and the other holding her ripped shirt together. Her face was bleeding and she looked terrified.

"Please don't," she begged.

He took another step towards her and reached for his belt with one hand as he reached for her skirt with the other. "I think you just need a healthy dose of man to cure you of your little Santana problem."

"Hey!" Puck yelled as he charged the bigger guy.

He looked up in time to have Puck slamming into him. He crumpled to the floor howling in pain.

Rachel used the distraction to scramble from the corner. She headed straight for Quinn who pulled her out of the room as quickly as she could.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked as she quickly guided Rachel from the building and towards the parking lot.

Rachel grasped desperately at her ripped shirt, trying to keep it together as they walked.

"We'll take you home," Quinn told her.

The two stood outside Puck's truck until he finally exited the school. The three of them got into the truck and Rachel reached for her cell phone only to realize it was in her bag. In school with the giant jock that had just attacked her.

Quinn noticed. "Is there someone you wanted me to call for you?"

"Can you please call Santana?" she asked quietly.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Santana Lopez?"

Rachel's eyes grew pleading. "Please?"

Quinn and Puck exchanged a look and Quinn made the call.

By the time they arrived at Rachel's house, Santana was already there pacing in the driveway. She looked up when she heard Puck's truck approach and she looked relieved until she caught sight of Rachel in the backseat bleeding with a ripped shirt.

"What the hell happened, Q?" she asked once they were out of the car.

Puck and Quinn watched as Santana made a beeline for Rachel and pulled her into her arms.

"Rach, what happened?" she asked quietly.

Rachel shook her head. "Can we go inside please?"

"Of course," Santana answered, not paying the other two any mind.

"Do you have your key? My bag is at school," Rachel explained quietly.

Santana nodded and opened the front door, guiding them both in.

"Did we wander into bizzaro world when I wasn't looking?" Puck whispered as he and Quinn followed along behind them, more curious than anything.

"Somebody certainly has some explaining to do," Quinn replied as she watched her cheerleader friend.

It was obvious to her that the two girls had some kind of relationship that no one else knew about. And it was obviously a very intimate relationship. There was no denying the level comfort and familiarity that both Rachel and Santana displayed together. It was obvious they'd all missed something and it had been going on for a long time.

She and Puck followed along behind the other two through Rachel's bedroom and into her bathroom.

"Up you go," Santana ordered gently. Rachel climbed up onto the counter and her gaze fell to the floor.

Santana reached out and placed a hand on the other girl's cheek. She ducked her head to catch Rachel's eyes. "You okay?"

Rachel nodded slowly, wincing slightly as she did.

"Okay," Santana replied softly. She only then turned to the other two. "Tell me what happened."

Quinn blinked several times to snap herself out of wondering what the hell was going on and she shook her head, thinking back. "Puck and I were at my locker after glee getting ready to leave. We walked by the choir room and heard Rachel yell and when we got inside, that big football guy, Max, was closing in on her. She was backed into a corner with his hand up her skirt."

"I got in a few good shots," Puck told them. "He's huge, but if you know where to hit him he crumples like a girl."

"Why was he after you?" Santana asked Rachel quietly.

Quinn's head tilted to the side as she watched her friend interact with Rachel. Santana had probably been the most cruel to the diva of all the cheerleaders and it was definitely strange to see her friend act so gentle towards her. Even the tone of her voice was something Santana usually reserved for those closest to her and even then it was only used when _no one_ else was around.

Rachel's eyes closed and she swallowed hard. "He said I needed a healthy dose of man to cure me of my Santana problem."

Santana's eyes closed for a moment and Quinn and Puck could both see the other girl trembling. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. They both watched rather stunned when her body instantly reacted and relaxed when Rachel touched her.

"San, look at me," Rachel whispered.

The cheerleader took in several deep breaths to calm herself. She met Rachel's eyes. "I will kill him for this."

"Can you please just help me clean up?" Rachel asked quietly, she was trying to hold it together but her chin quivered and tears sprang to her eyes.

Santana instantly melted, all the anger and tension seeping from her body and she nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"What the hell is going on?" Puck suddenly asked. All three girls looked his way and he shrugged. "This is too weird."

"What the hell do you think is going on, Puck?" Santana asked, as she searched for the first aid kit. "Just shut up for a minute so I can get her cleaned up." She found the box under the sink and opened it on Rachel's lap.

Rachel held the box open as the other girl searched through and picked out several items she'd need to clean her girlfriend up.

Rachel slumped dejectedly as she sat on the bathroom counter with Santana standing in front of her between her legs. She winced away when the sting of alcohol hit the gash on her face.

"Sweetie I know it hurts, but try to stay still," Santana whispered.

Rachel only barely nodded to acknowledge that she'd been spoken to. She refused to meet anyone's eyes.

Puck met Quinn's eyes again and mouthed 'sweetie?' to her. She could only shrug.

"I think she's broken," Puck muttered as they watched from the doorway.

Santana suddenly fixed him with a murderous glare. "You'd feel broken too if some ass jock tried to rape you."

"He didn't-" Rachel started.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing here?" Puck shot back, cutting Rachel off. "Say the word and he's dead. He won't know his ass from his elbow by the time we're done with him."

"No," Rachel whispered. Her voice cracking and chin quivering. "I just want to forget this ever happened."

"Is there anything we can do, Rachel?" Quinn asked quietly. She'd never seen Rachel so out of sorts and it was terribly disconcerting. Despite being a pain in the ass, Rachel truly was the heart of the glee club.

Rachel shook her head, wincing as a particularly painful scrape was cleaned on her face.

Santana frowned apologetically. "Sorry, baby girl." She leaned in close and blew on the gash, trying to soothe the burn of the alcohol. She placed a few butterfly bandages across the deepest cut to keep it together.

Santana glanced up at her friends. "You guys don't have to stick around. I'm going to get her cleaned up and hang out a while."

Quinn and Puck exchanged a look and they both nodded. "Call us if you need anything."

Santana smiled her thanks to Quinn and nodded. "We will."

"Take care of her," Puck told her quietly. "If you change your mind, Rachel, let me know."

Rachel nodded without meeting his eyes, her gaze set on her hands. "Thank you for saving me today."

"Thanks, guys," Santana told them both seriously.

"Feel better." Quinn approached and squeezed Rachel's hand gently. She pulled Santana into her arms, kissing the side of her head and offered them both a comforting smile. "If you guys need anything call me." With that she left, pulling Puck along behind her.

"I think that was the nicest she's ever been to me," Rachel muttered once they were alone.

"She doesn't hate you," Santana explained with a sigh. "She's scared and doesn't know what she wants. She takes it out on you most of the time."

Rachel remained quiet and allowed those words to sink in.

"Almost done," Santana murmured.

"I'm fine," Rachel mumbled. "He was just trying to scare me."

"Rach, I can tell he scared the hell out of you," Santana replied, her eyes welling with tears and her voice shaking with fury. "And he will not get away with this."

"Don't let Noah hurt him," Rachel answered, reaching up to gently swipe a rogue tear on her girlfriend's cheek. "I don't want more violence on my behalf."

"Oh there will be violence, but it won't be Puck delivering on your behalf," Santana vowed, her tears quickly replaced with biting anger. "It'll be me. I let it go when Jesse St. Ass egged you. This is way too serious to be let go, Rach. I'm taking a bat to his kneecaps."

"He didn't do anything," Rachel insisted quietly.

Santana sighed and set her medical supplies down moving closer to her girlfriend, loving the way Rachel leaned into her. "Sweetie, you don't know what would have happened if Puck and Quinn hadn't found you when they did. I can't even think about it."

"I would have kneed him in the groin and run away," Rachel answered with a shrug.

"He outweighed you by about a hundred pounds," Santana said. Her voice was shaking and her hands were trembling as she reached out to brush a strand of hair from Rachel's eyes. She knew how badly the day could have ended.

"I'm fine," Rachel insisted as she grasped Santana's hand in both of hers and brought it to her lips to kiss her palm.

"I'm not leaving you alone after school again" Santana told her. "I know you like to get extra rehearsal time in, but from now on I'm staying with you."

"What about Cheerios?" Rachel asked.

_Damn_. Santana hadn't thought about that. "I'll make sure someone is with you."

Rachel knew her girlfriend could be very stubborn when she wanted to be so she simply nodded.

Santana dug through her cheerleading bag behind her and pulled out a faded grey tee shirt before turning back to her girlfriend. "Arms up."

Rachel raised her arms and Santana pulled her ripped and bloodied top over her head. She sucked in a breath when she caught sight of a large painful looking welt on her girlfriend's back. "I'm gonna kill him."

Rachel craned around and frowned when she saw the swollen skin on her back that seemed to be darkening by the minute. "I didn't even feel it. My face hurts too bad."

Santana sighed before sliding the worn tee over her head. She placed a warm hand to Rachel's cheek and studied her for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Rachel nodded and leaned into her. Santana frowned when she could still feel the other girl shaking in her arms.

"I'm sorry I had Quinn call you," Rachel admitted softly. "I'm afraid I've blown our cover. I didn't know what else to do."

Santana shook her head, pulling the girl closer to her. "I don't give a damn about our cover. As long as you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"What can I do?" the cheerleader asked softly.

"Stay tonight?" Rachel asked. "My dads are out of town until Sunday."

"Of course," Santana replied immediately. "How about I order pizza and I'll let you force me to watch one of your musicals."

Rachel grinned immediately. "You love them."

"I love you," Santana clarified with a wink.

Rachel's face softened immediately and she nodded. Santana grasped her hand, pulling her gently from the counter so they could go back downstairs.

Z

"Well, you were right about something weird going on," Puck told Quinn as the two of them climbed back into his truck.

Quinn set her eyes on him looking completely confused. "I'm not hallucinating, am I? That was really Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez up there. Right?"

"Yep," he replied.

"And they were," Quinn paused to find the right word. "Friendly?"

Puck scoffed. "That was more than friendly." He backed his truck out of the driveway and took off towards his house.

"I don't know," she mumbled, not really wanting to believe what she'd seen. "Friends can be that…friendly."

"When have you ever known S to be like that with someone?" he asked.

Quinn desperately racked her brain so she could come up with some alternate explanation as to what the hell they just witnessed. "Never. Not even with Britt. Not like she was upstairs. You?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"You're the one she was sexting," Quinn pointed out, wrinkling her nose. "She was never sweet?"

Puck shot her a look. "She doesn't do sweet."

"Well apparently she does," Quinn mumbled. "She just doesn't let anyone see it."

"Except Rachel," Puck pointed out.

"Okay so we can assume they're friends," she said, looking to him for confirmation. "Right?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Do you think it's more than that?" she asked. She turned in her seat so she could watch him while they talked.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"Do you think they're sleeping together?" she questioned.

"Yes," he repeated.

"How can you tell?" she wondered.

He suddenly smirked. "You could tell too."

"Yeah," she admitted with a sigh, her eyes falling to her lap. "But it's obviously more than that."

"Okay," he said with a sigh. "Look, Quinn, just jump to the damn conclusion already. We both know what it is."

"They're together," she stated, looking at him. "Right?"

"That's what it looked like to me," he replied with a grin. "It's hot."

She rolled her eyed and smacked him. "Alright, clamp down on the hormones." She frowned. "I can't believe she didn't tell me."

"It's S," he pointed out. "She's not really the heart-to-heart type."

"Still," Quinn mumbled. "If it was just a sex thing I can see her keeping to herself, but this is a relationship. And she's my best friend."

"If you were dating someone she'd been making fun of since the sixth grade would you tell her?" he asked.

Her bottom lip suddenly jutted out in a pout. "No."

He grinned. "Well there you have it."

"Shut up," she grumbled. She hated when he was right.

"Wanna go home and make out?" he asked.

She considered this a moment and finally shrugged. "Sure."

"Cool," he replied as he took off for his house.

Zzzz

A.N. Well I hope you guys liked this part, kinda drama-rific but hopefully up to snuff. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for reading!


	4. Giving me your best

A.N. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! I've been working on a few other glee fics so this one hasn't had my full attention for a while, but I wanted to drop this off for you guys. I hope you enjoy!

**XX**

Rachel watched from the couch as Santana ordered pizza. The cheerleader had changed out of her uniform and was dressed down in jeans with holes worn in both knees and a faded t-shirt. Her feet were bare and her hair was down. It was a look that Rachel found to be incredibly hot.

"Idiot." Santana sighed heavily as she slid her cell phone closed but she smiled when she saw dark eyes watching her intently. "What's up?"

Rachel shook her head silently, her smile growing with every step the cheerleader took towards her. "You look really beautiful."

"Sweetie, do you think you might have a concussion?" Santana questioned with a wary smile. "I look like a scrub."

Rachel shook her head. "You've never looked better."

A funny little smile appeared on Santana's lips as she took a seat next to her girlfriend and pulled her close. "Do you really mean that or is this payback for me telling you to move to Israel that time?"

Rachel laughed, wincing in pain for a moment before she shook her head. "I mean it. I feel like when I see you like this, I'm seeing the real you."

"Sometimes I feel like you're the only person that ever sees the real me," the cheerleader mumbled quietly. Before Rachel could respond, Santana stood up again and headed for the DVD collection, instantly seeking the musical section. "So, what do you feel like tonight? Rent? South Pacific? Phantom?"

"You pick," Rachel responded with a smile as she stretched out on the couch. "It doesn't have to be a musical either."

Santana glanced over her shoulder and winked. "I don't know, I'm kind of in the mood for some singing and dancing."

Santana finally made her selection and got the movie started. She motioned for Rachel to sit up and sat down next to her. She placed a hand on the side of her girlfriend's face that wasn't swollen and winced. "Sweetie you're definitely going to have a black eye."

"At least he missed my nose," she tried to joke. The diva's face fell and her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap. "Everyone at school is going know how stupid I was this afternoon."

"You were not stupid," Santana replied, her voice was gentle yet firm. "Do you hear me? He was the ape that attacked you for no reason."

Rachel nodded but remained silent and her eyes closed when Santana pulled her into a hug, holding her close. A moment later Santana released her with a kiss and settled back into the cushions, Rachel's head dropped to her lap.

Santana certainly paid no attention to the movie, she'd seen it several times. Her attention was focused more on the girl desperately fighting a losing battle with sleep and she knew her fingers playing with Rachel's hair was only lulling her closer to the sleep that she seemed determined to allude.

She cursed a few minutes later when the doorbell rang and Rachel jumped at the sound, having finally gotten to sleep and she somehow managed not to be too rude to the pizza boy but she was sure he would fear ever returning to the Berry residence after the death glare she'd given him.

**XX**

A few hours later Rachel was sprawled out sound asleep next to, and half on top of her. After she'd eaten she'd gotten herself settled again and drifted off almost immediately singing along with one of the songs from the movie. Santana felt her phone vibrate and she slid it open to find a text from Quinn.

_You two okay? We can bring movies and snacks over if you want company?_

_xx Q _

Santana grinned.

_Rachel's taking a nap but maybe later tonight? See if Puck can get some beer, we're home alone here._

_xo,_

_S_

She was fairly certain that Rachel wouldn't mind having Quinn and Puck over for a while later.

_Okay, just text me when you're ready for us._

_xx Q_

Santana glanced over fondly when she heard the distinct sounds of her girlfriend waking up. Moments later she was being watched by warm, sleepy eyes.

"What was that noise?" she asked.

"Sorry, sweetie," Santana replied. "My phone. Q texted to see if we wanted some company for a while tonight."

Rachel looked hopeful. She wanted desperately to be liked by her girlfriend's friends and the fact that they were the popular kids didn't hurt either. "What did you tell her?"

"That you were taking a nap and I'd text her later," she replied as she lovingly brushed a few strands of hair from the gorgeous eyes watching her.

"Just Quinn?" Rachel asked.

Santana shook her head. "Probably Puck too. Is that okay?"

Rachel nodded and grasped her girlfriend's hand long enough to place a warm kiss to her palm.

"You don't care if I asked Puck to bring some beer do you?" she asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Nope. You can invite Brittany too if you want."

"She has a date with Mike tonight," Santana told her.

Rachel shifted her position and winced. "Would you mind getting me some aspirin please?"

"Sure, baby girl," Santana responded and managed to get up without jarring the other girl too badly. She returned with two aspirin and a glass of water.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she handed the glass back to Santana. She dropped back to the pillow and sighed. "I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"As huge as that idiot is I'm not shocked he hits like a champ," Santana sighed. She crouched in front of the couch in front of Rachel. "Maybe a hot shower will help?"

"Maybe a bath?" Rachel asked hopefully.

Santana smiled and nodded, running a hand over Rachel's sleep mused locks. "Hang out here for a minute and I'll run you a bath. Okay?"

"San, you don't have to do that," Rachel mumbled. "You've done too much already today."

"What have I done today?" Santana asked. "Other than hang out with my too-beautiful-for-words girlfriend."

"You took care of me," Rachel mumbled softly.

Santana smiled lovingly and ran a hand over her hair again and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It was nothing. Stay put, I'll be back."

Rachel watched her until she was out of sight and her attention was suddenly drawn back to the movie. She sang along with the final song softly.

**XX**

An hour later both girls were wrapped in fluffy towels and Santana was towel drying Rachel's hair.

"Feel any better?" she asked.

Rachel nodded. "Much." Her muscles had instantly responded to the hot water and it didn't hurt to have the cheerleader in the tub behind her working out the tense muscles in her shoulders. "You have amazing hands."

"Oh really?" Santana questioned with a smirk.

Rachel nodded, her body reacting instantly to the look in her girlfriend's eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" the Latina questioned innocently. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Like that," Rachel explained breathlessly. "I can't resist you when you look at me like that and I'm way too tired and sore to have to try to resist you too."

Santana laughed, the act dropping immediately, and she pulled the other girl close to her and breathed her in. "There will be no need for resisting tonight, sweetie. Not after this afternoon."

Rachel's eyes were suddenly downcast and she swallowed hard. "It's not like I'm going to be emotionally scarred from this afternoon or anything. Nothing happened. It was just scary and stressful."

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Santana told her as she exited the bathroom to get clothes from her bag.

"I do," Rachel argued and followed her from the room. She was silent for a minute before she took a seat on the bed and brushed her hair out. "This isn't going to change anything."

Santana shook her head as she started getting dressed. "Rach, whether or not anything changes because of that ass today…it's okay. We're okay. If you're good, I'm good. If you're not, we'll figure out how to get you back to good. Either way I'm here."

"You're really good in a crisis," Rachel told her suddenly, her eyes unable to leave the girl clad only in pink boy shorts and a matching bra.

Santana shot her an amused look as she headed for the bathroom to hang up her towel. "What?"

Rachel shook her head. "If it had been you bleeding and beaten up I probably would have lost my mind. I don't do crisis well. It says a lot about you."

"You have no idea what was going on in my head when I saw you," Santana told her quietly as she emerged from the bathroom and reached for her bag. "The only thing keeping me from driving back to school to kill him and bury his body under the football field was the fact that Puck blocked me in the driveway. I was anything but good."

"You were," Rachel argued back. "You did everything I needed you to. Said everything I needed you to."

Santana approached, tee shirt in hand and she dropped a kiss to Rachel's forehead and met her eyes, cupping her chin gently. "I wish I could take all the pain away. Because nothing short of that is going to make me feel like I did anything today."

Rachel reached out to grasp the tee shirt in the cheerleader's hand and she tossed it to the side, pulling the other girl down to the bed with her.

"Rach," Santana protested softly.

"Shh," Rachel murmured. "Just lie with me for a second."

Santana shifted their positions so she was lying on her back with Rachel curled into her. She held the other girl tightly with one hand as the other traced imaginary patterns on Rachel's bare arm.

Rachel closed her eyes and breathed in the entire presence of her girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her tightly. "Did you text Quinn back?"

"Are you sure you feel like company?" Santana asked.

Rachel nodded. "It would be nice."

"Okay," Santana answered simply. She grabbed her phone on the bedside table and began clicking the small keys quickly before sliding the phone shut. They were silent for a minute until the phone vibrated softly.

"They'll be here in about an hour," Santana mumbled against Rachel's hair once she checked the screen.

"Will you braid my hair?" Rachel asked suddenly.

Santana grinned. "Of course."

Rachel sighed happily and sat up. Her eyes closed instantly once her girlfriend's hands began twisting her hair into braids. "Really amazing hands."

**XX**

**A.N. ** Well I hope you enjoyed…please let me know if you think I should continue or drop me your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


	5. You're something else

A.N. Here's the next installment of the saga…hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!

**XX**

Santana pulled Rachel's front door open later that evening to find the other two on the other side armed with several bags.

"Hey, guys," Santana greeted as she pulled the door open wider and let them in.

"Hi," Quinn greeted her with a hug.

"Hey," Puck answered with a smile. "How is she?"

Santana glanced behind her to be sure Rachel was out of earshot. "I think she's okay. She's sore but she's dealing." She pointed a finger at both of them. "Be nice tonight. At school is one thing but this is her house."

The other two both nodded. "Of course," Quinn agreed immediately.

Puck held his empty hand up in a peaceful gesture. "I dated her before you. I know how to be nice to her."

"Good," Santana replied, completely ignoring his comment.

"How are you holding up?" Quinn questioned quietly meeting her friend's eyes.

Santana shrugged, her eyes falling the floor. "I'll be okay." Before Quinn could respond the other girl was pulling her down the hall. "Come on."

Rachel was still on the couch, her knees curled up to her chest and she seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever she was watching, her head tilted to the side and the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. She glanced up when she saw everyone and smiled. Then winced. "Hi."

Quinn smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Rachel nodded. "Better. Thank you."

"I brought beer," Puck greeted as he held up the case in his right hand. "You should have ice on your face." He shot a disapproving look to Santana.

She frowned, shrugging her shoulders. "I've never had a black eye before."

He rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen, handing Rachel a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a small towel. "Here, put this on your face."

Rachel stared at the item in her hands for a moment before looking up at him and smiling warmly. "Thanks."

Santana winked at her and pulled the other two into the kitchen and turned to Puck almost immediately. "Please tell me that fat fuck is in your fight club."

"Whatcha got in mind?" Puck asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Making sure he doesn't walk right for a month," she told him.

"We can do that outside of fight club," Puck told her.

Santana nodded. "I'm breaking his damn knees. And how the hell did he know? We were really careful."

"Don't worry about it," Puck assured her. "I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks, Puck." Santana smiled and reached out to squeeze his arm gently.

"No worries," he replied with a wink. "I take care of my girls."

They got snacks and drinks before heading back to the living room. That's when they all noticed Vocal Adrenaline on the screen.

"How are they on TV?" Quinn asked as she sat down on the loveseat, smiling at the sight of Rachel dutifully holding the frozen bag to her face. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so damn sad.

Rachel held the small white remote up and hit pause. "I hooked my laptop up to the TV. I found a few videos of them singing at last years Regionals and Nationals. I figured we could study them for weaknesses."

"I thought their only weakness was lack of a soul," Santana pointed out as she took a sip of her beer and offered it to Rachel. She leaned back against the couch and slid an arm around the girl next to her.

The diva took a drink before handing it back and pressing play, leaning back into her girlfriend's embrace. "So far that's all I've been able to find. But maybe we can find something else and exploit it."

Santana looked to Quinn and Puck and they both shrugged. "Works for me," he responded and she nodded with a rather amused smile.

Santana shot them both grateful looks, knowing they could have come armed with a barrage of questions for the pair but instead they just came to be friends.

Quinn watched the other girls with a barely disguised grin. She'd never seen her friend so completely at ease with someone before and she could tell that Rachel felt just as comfortable. She was beyond thrilled that Santana was as happy as she seemed in that moment.

**XX**

Santana cracked an eye open the next morning and glanced at the clock. It was nearly 7 a.m. and she sighed thinking she only had a few more days of school left before she could sleep in every day for three months.

It was in that moment that she realized the sheer silence in the room. Spending the night at Rachel's meant putting up with her morning routine but at the moment it was absolutely silent and it was slightly worrisome. She should have been hearing sounds of the elliptical machine or the shower running or something, but there was nothing but the slow, steady breathing coming from the warm body next to hers in bed.

She rolled over slowly, expecting to find Rachel sound asleep next to her. The day before had been stressful and frightening for the other girl so she couldn't be blamed if she'd wanted to skip her morning workout. But she found Rachel lying wide-awake staring at the ceiling and she frowned.

"Hey," she greeted softly.

Rachel smiled hesitantly. "Did I wake you up?"

Santana shook her head and reached out to slide an arm around the other girl. "No. The silence woke me up. No routine this morning?"

Rachel gave a quick shake of her head. "I got up to see how bad my face looked and I was too sore."

Santana propped herself up on her elbow to get a better look at Rachel's face. "Well, the swelling has gone down quite a bit."

"I know it looks terrible," Rachel muttered dejectedly. "You don't have to sugar coat it."

Santana shook her head. "I'll make sure you can barely tell."

Rachel set her girlfriend with a desperately hopeful look. "Really?"

The cheerleader nodded and kissed her. "Of course." She was silent for a moment. "We could always skip. We don't have school tomorrow and finals start next week. No one will even miss us."

"We can't," Rachel replied. "It's the last rehearsal day before Regionals."

"Damn," Santana muttered, realizing her girlfriend was right. "I guess we would be missed."

Rachel shook her head. "I'll be okay. I'll tell anyone who asks what happened, I just won't tell them why."

Santana nodded with a sigh. The lies and secrets were starting to wear on her. "Want me to get you some aspirin?" Rachel nodded silently. "Okay. I'll be right back."

"Thanks," Rachel whispered.

Santana disappeared for a moment but returned with two pills and a glass of water.

"Did Quinn or Puck question you at all last night about us?" Rachel suddenly asked.

Santana shook her head. "Nope. I was expecting a full on assault the minute they walked in but they didn't say a word."

"Don't you find that a bit strange?" she asked.

"Yes," Santana answered honestly. "But last night wasn't about satisfying their curiosity. It was about making sure you were okay. I'm sure they got that."

Rachel smirked but it was replaced by a wince immediately. "You're in trouble as soon as she gets you alone, you have to know that."

Santana sighed and nodded. "I know." She shrugged, a grin quirking her lips. "Oh well. It's a good thing you're worth it."

**XX**

A.N. I know this part is short, but it's setting up for a big day at school and I wanted to keep all that together. Up next…the gleeks find out the truth about Santana and Rachel's relationship…how will they respond? Please let me know what you thought and if I should continue!

Til next time!


	6. I see right through and underneath

A.N. Hey guys! New chapter…hope you enjoy!

**XX**

An hour later Rachel and Santana entered the choir room together to find Mr. Schue looking around at the mess. Rachel moved to the corner to gather the things she'd left the night before. Santana had done a fantastic job on her make up but her face was still swollen and you could still see the bruising in the corner of her eye.

"Rachel, Santana, do either of you know what happened in here?" he asked. He did a double take when he saw Rachel's face. "Are you okay?" It finally seemed to click that the two girls walked in together and he looked wary. "Have you two been fighting?"

"Rachel was attacked in here last night by a football player after rehearsal," Santana explained, her voice taking on an angry edge.

"What?" Will questioned, his eyes wide. "Are you okay? He didn't…"

Rachel shook her head quickly. "He hit me." She could feel the heat of the fury radiating off the girl next to her and she reached out and placed a hand on the cheerleader's arm.

Will noticed the exchange and was shocked when Santana seemed to snap out of whatever rage she'd been in the moment Rachel's hand touched her.

"Have you told Principal Figgins?" he asked. "This needs to be reported."

Rachel shook her head. "I'd rather just forget about it."

"Rachel," Will started.

"He's right, Rach," Santana agreed softly. She knew she was taking a risk being nice to Rachel at school, but in the moment she didn't care.

"No," Rachel told them both firmly.

Santana met Will's eyes and she could tell that he suspected something was going on between the two of them. But she also knew that he was one of the good guys that would never do anything bad with the information.

A moment later Mike and Brittany entered the room and Santana's bitch façade was quickly thrown back up.

Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and pulled her from the room. "Come here, B." Santana pulled Brittany from the room and into an empty room across the hall and closed the door behind them. "Hey, B."

"Hi, S," she replied with a bright smile. "What are we doing in here?"

"I need to talk to you about something," Santana told her. "I probably should have told you a long time ago."

"Is this about you and Rachel?" Brittany asked.

Santana stared at her for a moment. "What about me and Rachel?"

"You're having sex, right?" Brittany asked.

"How do you know?" Santana wondered, her jaw slack.

"You're my best friend," Brittany told her simply.

Santana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, it's kind of more than that with her."

"You love her?" Brittany asked her.

Santana nodded. "I do."

Brittany smiled a little. "I can tell."

Santana reached out and pulled the blonde into her arms. "But look, B, you're still my best friend. I love you too."

Brittany nodded against her shoulder. "I know."

"So you're okay with it?" Santana asked as she released her friend and held her shoulders to keep her close.

Brittany nodded and smiled. "I like it when you're happy. And you're happy. So I'm okay with it."

Santana smiled. "Thanks, B. I'm telling everyone else when they get in. So don't say anything until I do, okay?"

"Okay."

"Are you and Mike okay?" the brunette asked.

Brittany immediately grinned. "He's really nice."

"He's good to you?"

"Yeah."

Santana nodded. "Good, cause if he's not, he has to answer to me and it won't be pretty."

"Love you, S."

"Love you, B."

Santana linked their pinkies and strode across the hall to join everyone in the choir room again. Now that Brittany was okay with everyone she decided that it was high time everyone else in glee knew exactly what was going on.

**XX**

Rachel watched Santana pull Brittany from the room and she had a vague idea what that conversation was going to entail.

"Seriously, Rachel, are you sure you're alright?" Will asked her quietly.

Rachel nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks, Mr. Schue."

Mercedes, Kurt and Tina all entered the room next and made a beeline for her as soon as they saw her face.

Ten minutes later the room was buzzing with the news of Rachel's attack.

Santana and Brittany re-entered the room and the brunette could tell that Rachel was starting to panic about everyone knowing. She didn't meet Rachel's eyes, knowing she'd lose her nerve.

"Rachel's attack wasn't random," she declared as she closed the door to the choir room and turned to face everyone.

"San," Rachel warned quietly with a shake of her head.

"San?" Kurt repeated quietly to Mercedes. She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the girls up front.

Santana shot Rachel a look and addressed them all. "Rachel was attacked in here last night after rehearsal because somehow some brainless football jock found out that we're together." Her eyes suddenly turned fiery with anger. "He wanted to 'cure' her."

Her admission was met with gasps around the room from everyone except Brittany, Puck and Quinn.

"_Together_ together?" Kurt asked.

"She's probably the most annoying person I've ever met," Santana muttered before her eyes settled on Rachel and a loving smile crept over her features. "But I kind of love her."

"Just kind of?" Rachel asked, a smile of her own on her lips.

Santana winked at her before addressing everyone again. "Since Puck kicked the guy's ass and I plan on making sure he can never procreate, word might get out about me and Rachel so I just wanted you to hear it from me first so the facts aren't twisted." She shrugged. "I'll kick anyone's ass who gives either of us a hard time about it." With that she took the empty seat next to Rachel, sliding her arm around the back of the chair the shorter girl occupied.

Will took that as his queue to take over and he stood up. "Alright…regionals…"

Rachel tuned him out as she leaned over to her girlfriend. "You could have at least warned me you were going to do that."

"It'll be all over school by lunch," Santana explained with a shrug. "I just figured everyone in here should at least know the truth."

"What about Sue?" Rachel wondered.

"She'll probably flay me alive," Santana muttered as she glanced down at her pristine uniform. She'd miss it if Sue kicked her off, but there wasn't a lot she could do about it now.

"We could still go the route of all out denial when it comes to the general population at school, you know," Rachel pointed out, hating that Santana might be forced to give up something she loved.

Santana shook her head and grasped her hand, squeezing lightly. "It's not worth it. Besides, she may not kick me off the squad."

**XX**

"I need gossip, now," Kurt instructed as he dropped his tray on the table next to Rachel's and sat down next to her.

"No," Rachel responded, she glanced around and leaned forward. "You guys seriously can't talk about this here.

"Then why did San-"

"Shh!" Rachel interrupted, waving her arms around frantically and shooting him a dirty look.

"Why did _she_ tell us then?" he amended with wide eyes.

Rachel leaned forward again and everyone mimicked her at the table. "We didn't want to have to hide in glee club. But if we can keep it under wraps from the rest of the school we'd like to try to."

"Why?" Mercedes asked. It wasn't like Rachel to hide any part of her.

"Because both of us will catch hell," Rachel told them quietly. "And it'll be worse for her than it will be for me. And she's afraid that you-know-who will kick her off the you-know-what's."

"Ah," Mercedes said as realization hit her.

"Still," Kurt prodded.

"Not here," Rachel shut him down quickly.

"Rachel if I might have a word with you," Jacob called as he approached the table and invaded her personal space. Rachel leaned away from him.

"This can't be good," Tina mumbled quietly.

"What, Jacob," Rachel growled, her eyes were shooting daggers at him, praying he didn't know anything he wasn't supposed to know.

"Hey, Man Hands," Santana's voice suddenly cut through everyone's. The table looked up and found Santana and Brittany standing nearby, the brunette's eyes on Rachel, an evil smirk on her face. "I bet if you grew a beard you'd attract as many loser girls as loser guys. It would probably improve your looks too."

Mercedes almost smiled because anyone who really looked could see that Santana's glower was really set on someone standing a bit too close to her girlfriend.

Jacob looked between the two of them and saw Rachel's face crumple and Santana's eyes light up at making part of her day miserable and he shook his head. "Never mind." He walked away making notes in his tape recorder.

The cheerleaders took off for their table leaving the rest of them watching Rachel who looked like someone had run over her kitten.

"It didn't sound that mean when I came up with it," she suddenly mumbled.

The rest of them tried to hide smirks.

"Please tell me that's not what the two of you spend your time doing," Kurt begged.

A wicked grin spread on Rachel's lips. "Definitely not." Kurt leaned forward again and she only shook her head. "Not here."

He nodded and sat back in his seat, suddenly delving back into talk about Regionals, finals and summer.

Rachel couldn't help but allow her eyes to trail to the popular table and she found Santana's eyes watching her carefully. They were both sure every day to get seats at their respective tables so any eye contact could be brushed off as purely accidental though they both knew if anyone paid either of them any attention they would be found out.

"It must be tough," Tina remarked quietly from the other side of her.

"Sorry?" Rachel questioned, shifting her attention back to the table.

"For you two," Tina clarified.

Rachel caught her eyes and shrugged. "If it wasn't for the you-know-what's we'd be public. We both know that. It just means too much to her. And you-know-who is on the war path lately so we're pretty sure she wouldn't hesitate to kick her off."

Tina nodded. "I get it. Still, it must be hard for you guys. It's one thing to hide something like this, but she has to pretend to hate you."

"She makes up for it when we're alone," Rachel told her, a smile brightening her features.

"So she's nice in real life?" Tina asked with a smirk.

Rachel laughed. "Definitely."

"Hi, guys," Matt greeted the table suddenly. He was greeted with hellos from everyone at the table and took a seat. "So we were talking at the table and Puck's going have a get together tonight at his place since we don't have school tomorrow. Just glee club." He met Rachel's eyes. "Kind of a private pre-Regionals party."

Rachel grinned immediately and glanced at the popular table again and this time found Puck watching her. He shot her a wink and slung an arm around Santana and went back to his conversation.

"That sounds great," Rachel told him, barely able to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Cool," he replied with a wink. He turned his focus back to the rest of the table. "You guys will be there? We'll probably get a keg and just hang out."

Everyone agreed and a minute later Matt got back up and headed back to the table and all focus was back on Rachel.

"Girl, we better get some details on this tonight," Mercedes told her. "Don't think for a second you're getting out of it."

Rachel nodded absently. Her mind was elsewhere. She was trying not to bubble over with excitement and anticipation about the weekend. She would finally get to spend some time with Santana and the rest of their friends and that was only half of it. Regionals were days away and they were ready. They were ready to win.

**XX**

A.N. Hmmm…what do you think? Things are under wraps right now at school…does that mean that it will stay that way through the end of school or should I blow it up? Tell me what you guys think of the chapter. Thanks for reading!


	7. And you make me better

A.N. Thanks to everyone for reviewing this thing…it means a lot. I hope you enjoy this section!

**XX**

Later that night Rachel and Santana were seated together outside Puck's house next to a huge fire pit on his back deck. Surprisingly, news hadn't spread like wild fire at school regarding the two girls. The football player missed school that day and obviously hadn't told anyone he knew so the girls were able to enjoy their cocoon a little bit longer.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look in fire light?" Santana asked Rachel quietly as she reached for the other girl's hand and held it between both of hers.

"Flatterer," Rachel replied softly.

"This is weird, right?" the cheerleader questioned, motioning around them. "To take this outside of the little bubble we've been living in."

"It's nice," Rachel murmured happily. "I like that we don't have to hide. At least with everyone here."

"Me too," Santana replied. She leaned in to drop a gentle kiss to Rachel's lips.

"You know what the best part about all of this is?" Rachel asked quietly as she leaned into the girl next to her.

"Hmm?" Santana hummed quietly, slipping an arm around Rachel and pulling her closer and pressing her lips to the diva's temple.

"Mr. Schue always seemed to put us so close together in routines and I had to pretend you hated me," Rachel recalled with a smile. "And you always look gorgeous so it was really hard to keep my eyes off you."

"You know what the best part is for me?" Santana questioned quietly.

"Hmm?" Rachel repeated with a smile.

"That I can act as completely smitten as I am," Santana replied with a wink. "There are times when I hear you sing that I wish I could just block out the rest of the universe and only focus on you, but I knew if I did that we'd be found out pretty much the moment anyone looked at me. Though _you_ almost gave us away too when you sang Gives you Hell."

"I can't believe nobody knew I was singing to you and not Finn," Rachel mumbled.

"Me either." Santana laughed. "You were so pissed at me that day."

"Well, you kind of deserved it," Rachel reminded her with a smile. "It's not my fault you-"

"So," Quinn started loudly as she approached, interrupting the pair keeping to themselves. "I think one of you has some explaining to do."

Santana looked up and found Quinn watching her with playfully narrowed eyes and she knew she couldn't put it off any longer.

"I'm assuming you aren't referring to me, Quinn, so I'll leave you girls to it," Rachel replied. She leaned in to place a chaste kiss to Santana's cheek. "I'm gonna get another drink."

Santana smiled lovingly and nodded, her eyes following the other girl's every move.

Quinn shot the diva a friendly smile and sat down in the seat she'd just vacated before turning to her friend. "So how long has this been going on? It's obviously been a while."

"How can you tell?" Santana wondered. She thought they'd been super sneaky. She still wasn't sure how the football jerk had found out.

"The way you touch her," Quinn replied. "You're obviously long past the awkward part and well into the being completely comfortable around each other part. And she trusts you."

"It's been long enough that I've fallen in love with her," Santana admitted quietly. She shook her head. "Can you believe I just said that out loud?"

Quinn smiled. "I know firsthand how generous and kind she can be. Even when none of us deserves it. I'm sorry I was so terrible to her."

"I was worse than anyone," Santana admitted softly. It made her sick to think about the things she'd said. "But when I think about it, I really just think it was my way of keeping my real feelings locked away."

"I understand," the blonde told her friend, reaching out to grasp Santana's hand. "You're one of my oldest friends and I love you. I just want to see you really happy."

"I am," Santana replied with a smile.

"I can tell," Quinn told her with a nod. "I'm happy for you. For both of you."

Santana pulled her into a hug. "She's turning me soft."

"Never," Quinn responded with a laugh. "Maybe you're just realizing that you don't have to put up the front with us."

"I'm terrified, Q," Santana suddenly admitted quietly, her gaze falling to her hands.

Quinn raised a slim eyebrow in question. "About what?"

Santana shook her head. "Just because news didn't spread today doesn't mean it won't next week or next month. I have no idea how people are going to react."

"I get it," the blonde responded. "I've been living it for the last few months. But I also know you won't let anyone get away with anything. Especially when it comes to Rachel. You rule the school."

"Hell yeah I do," Santana replied with a smirk.

"Don't let them take it away," Quinn told her with a shrug, like it was the simplest thing in the world to do. "Besides, she is kind of cute. You two make a good looking couple."

"She's more than kind of cute." Santana's smirk grew. "Whatever retard came up with those dumbass nicknames for her obviously had no idea what she's hiding under what's probably the worst wardrobe in history."

Quinn's eyes narrowed a bit. "I have noticed a few distinct additions to her wardrobe lately that didn't have animal print on them. I can assume that was your influence?"

"I can love her without loving what she wears most of the time," the brunette responded with a shrug. "Though sometimes it's really hard to resist setting her entire wardrobe on fire."

"She looks good tonight," Quinn commented.

Santana's eyes immediately sought out the girl that owned her heart and they both watched her chatting with Tina and Artie. She was dressed in dark jeans and a plain black top. It was very simple but there were no sweaters or knee socks in sight.

"She does," Santana responded softly. "Thank you for not going into 20 questions last night at Rachel's. I know you must have felt kind of blindsided."

"I did," Quinn agreed. "But last night was no time for that."

"Thanks, Q," the brunette whispered.

Quinn smiled and slid an arm around the other girl and squeezed her gently. "So how did this thing start anyways?"

"I was drunk," Santana admitted with a roll of her eyes. "And Puck made special brownies for this party we went to. Anyways I was outside and she came out and sat down. And then I kissed her and found that I really liked kissing her."

"You must have been really drunk," Quinn teased.

Santana shook her head. "I was only drunk enough to do what I'd wanted to do for longer than I care to admit."

"She's been different lately," Quinn pointed out. "She's been nice. And she doesn't speak in paragraphs as much."

"That was what got me to kiss her the first time," Santana explained. "She sat down next to me and would not stop talking, so I kissed her. It's been a pretty effective way to shut her up ever since."

"I'm telling her you said that,' Quinn told her with a grin.

"Go ahead," Santana replied with a shrug. "I told her that the first time I kissed her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Quinn asked suddenly. She shook her head. "All those names I called her, those stupid drawings. I feel terrible."

"Well you stopped calling her names after baby-gate broke," Santana pointed out. "Mostly anyways." She sighed. "I was just scared."

"I get it," Quinn told her, grasping one of Santana's hands between both of hers. "But you listen to me, Santana Lopez, you are my best friend and if you ever keep something this big from me again, I'll kick your ass."

"Think so, blondie?" Santana asked, her lips quirking into a smirk.

Quinn laughed and shook her head. "No. But I will be mad. You can tell me anything."

"Thanks, Q."

Puck suddenly dropped into the cushioned chair next to Quinn and gave the blonde a smile that let Santana know exactly where he stood. He was obviously still very into the girl seated next to her.

"So, I took care of your little Max problem after school," Puck said to Santana. He absently reached for one of Quinn's hands and held it between both of his, tracing patterns on her palm with one of his fingers.

"Really?" Santana asked with a smirk.

Puck nodded. "He won't walk right for a month. I think I broke his junk too."

"So how did he know about us?" she asked.

He shook his head. "He didn't. He's been in love with you since third grade and he saw the way Rachel looked at you sometimes. He said he wanted to teach her a lesson."

Santana suddenly scowled. "I can still take a bat to his kneecaps."

"Down girl," Puck warned with a grin. "I told him if he bothers you again I'll be sure to break every appendage on his body. Including his man stick."

"His man stick?" Santana smirked.

"Beer pong?" he asked Santana, ignoring her teasing. "Not you," he told Quinn with a wink.

Santana nodded and stood, reaching for Quinn's hands to pull her to her feet as well.

"You're going down, buddy," the cheerleader told him with a smirk.

"That's what she said," Puck shot back with drunken laugh.

Santana raised an eyebrow and pointed to Quinn. "She said that?" she asked him playfully. "Damn, Q, I rub off on you more every day."

Quinn blushed and Puck and Santana both laughed as they headed inside to start a game.

**XX**

**A.N. **Thank you all for reading and I hope you can take a moment of your time to let me know what you think. There's much more to this party than this chapter coming soon!


	8. I guess it's meant to be

A.N. Enjoy!

**XX**

An hour later Rachel found Santana and Puck squaring off in the kitchen over another game of beer pong. Even though Santana was clearly winning, she was also clearly drunk.

Rachel took another sip of her wine cooler and slid up onto the counter to watch the game. Mercedes and Kurt suddenly appeared on either side of her and she knew she wasn't going to get out of talking to them about this.

"Alright, out with it," Mercedes started, getting right to the point.

"How is it that you have managed to get one of the hottest, if bitchiest, girls in school into your bed?" Kurt asked.

"She's not a bitch," Rachel immediately defended.

Kurt grinned immediately. "You have it bad."

"That I do," Rachel admitted immediately. The alcohol was hitting her hard and watching Santana play a few feet away was intoxicating in an entirely different way.

"Head cheerleader too, I'm impressed," Kurt mumbled with an appreciative smile.

"So really, give us some details," Mercedes told her.

"I went to a party with Finn a few months ago," Rachel started. "I was bored so I went outside to sit down and Santana was outside. We started talking and then she kissed me. I figured she was just drunk and the next day she'd go back to ignoring me but instead she showed up at my house and we talked and kissed and talked and kissed. We've been together ever since."

"Those aren't details," Kurt grumbled. "Those are very vague facts about how you got together."

"You wanted to know how we got together," Rachel argued back with a smile.

"No, I wanted to know how you got her in your bed," Kurt clarified.

"How do you know she's been in my bed?" Rachel questioned with a blush.

Mercedes shot her a look. "The way you look at her. It's obvious that you two are really close. The kind of closeness that only comes with sharing the sheets. Busted, girl."

Santana suddenly cheered and she rounded to find Rachel watching her with a grin. The cheerleader approached and slid her hands up Rachel's thighs once she was close enough, standing between the other girl's legs. "I won."

Rachel kissed her soundly. "I'm not surprised. You beat Noah every time at this game."

Both girls smiled remembering the night at the party Rachel had just been talking about and how Santana had beaten Puck's ass that night as well.

"How was Quinn?" Rachel asked softly, noticing how Mercedes and Kurt had moved further away to give them some privacy, though they were still close enough to hear every word the couple said.

"She's totally fine," Santana replied, also hyperaware of everyone within earshot of the two of them.

Rachel nodded and slid her arms around the cheerleader's shoulders and pulled her close, her fingers twirling in the cheerleader's ponytail. Santana's hands immediately dropped to Rachel's hips and she pulled her closer to the edge of the counter and stood between her legs.

Rachel kissed her quickly. "I want to get out of here."

"Me too," Santana replied. "But I can't drive."

Rachel shook her head. "Me either."

"You can stay here," Puck offered from a few feet away where he was chatting with Quinn.

The girls exchanged a look and both shrugged. "I told my dads I was staying with you anyways so they won't call the house."

"My mom thinks I'm staying at yours so we're covered," Santana replied.

"In that case, I'm getting another drink," Rachel told her with a kiss. "Want one?"

"I'll get a beer from out back," Santana replied with a shake of her head.

Rachel nodded. "Kay, I'll meet you out there."

Santana grinned and winked before giving her thigh a squeeze.

"You two need some jammies?" Puck asked with a teasing grin.

Santana's lips suddenly slid into a wicked smirk and she shook her head. "Definitely not necessary, buddy." She clapped him on the back a few times, probably harder than was necessary as she passed him to get another beer from the keg outside.

Rachel stayed put for a minute to allow herself a chance to regain her equilibrium, but before she could move Quinn approached.

"Okay, your turn," Quinn told her.

Rachel gulped and nodded. "Okay."

"Santana's in love with you," Quinn stated simply. "You know that, right?"

Rachel nodded, not able to help the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

"There's a reason she doesn't normally do relationships, you know that too?" Quinn wondered.

Rachel nodded again, her smile instantly fading.

"Then I'll make this really easy for you," the blonde stated, her voice dropping as she took a step towards the girl on the counter. "If you break her heart, I'll kick your ass."

"Noted," Rachel assured her with a nod. "But I can assure you that her heart is perfectly safe with me."

"Good," Quinn replied with a smile. "Take care of her. I know she acts like she's really tough but…"

"You don't have to explain," Rachel assured her quickly, mindful of the two sets of ears listening nearby.

Quinn nodded. "Good."

"Good."

The girls exchanged a smile and Rachel felt like Quinn was finally to the point where she could forgive her for everything with Finn and the two might actually end up being friends.

Quinn leaned back against the counter next to Rachel and watched Puck playing beer pong nearby. "I'm sorry about everything. I was terrible to you even after you were so nice to me."

"It's forgotten, Quinn," Rachel told her softly. "Past is past."

"Thanks, Rachel."

"You're welcome."

"See you later," Quinn told her with another quick smile as she headed towards Puck.

Rachel smiled until Kurt and Mercedes returned to her side before Quinn could even get out of earshot.

"Okay, spill," Kurt urged with a smile.

Rachel shook her head. "Nope."

He frowned, obviously more than a little drunk. "But I want to know…"

"No," Rachel told him. She shot a pleading look at Mercedes and the other diva seemed to sense that it was something definitely not up for discussion and she nodded.

"C'mon, Kurt, let's go get some air," she suggested, gently guiding him out to the back deck where the keg was.

"So does this mean it's my turn?" Finn asked from behind her.

"What?" she asked as she faced him.

He shrugged. "I think you owe me more of an explanation than anyone here."

She nodded. "You don't hate me, do you?"

"For using me? Or lying to me?" he asked. He sighed and shook his head. "No."

Another cheer erupted as some of the boys continued to play beer pong and Finn grasped her by the elbow gently and steered her from the kitchen.

"You don't mind if we go somewhere quiet to talk do you?" he asked.

She shook her head and followed him to the front porch. They took a seat on the front step and were silent for a few minutes.

"So how long have you two been together?" he asked.

"Remember the party we went to after the commercial shoot?" she asked.

"It's been that long?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"Just explain one thing," Finn requested. Rachel nodded. "If you were with Santana why did you tell me about Puck and Quinn and the baby? It obviously wasn't really to get me to break up with her."

"Two reasons," Rachel answered. "One, I thought you needed to know the truth, regardless of the outcome. You're my friend and you deserved to know what was really going on."

"You were just too chicken to tell me your truth?" he asked.

"I'm really sorry."

"And the second reason?" he asked, letting her off the hook for the time being.

"The second reason was still entirely selfish," she told him, glancing up at him with a positively ashamed expression coloring her features. "We were concerned at the time that a few members of the club were onto us. I used you and Quinn and Puck as a distraction. I'm sorry."

"Wow, that's low even for you," Finn told her.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I honestly feel terrible about the entire situation. I was only trying to protect Santana."

"From what?" he asked.

"If Sue Sylvester finds out about us, Santana's worried she'll get kicked off the Cheerios," Rachel told him. "It's really important to her. Aside from glee, it's all she's got."

"How do you know this isn't a really mean joke?" Finn asked suddenly.

Rachel shook her head. "We've been together for months so I'm sure if she was doing this to get me fall for her so she could embarrass me she would have done it already. I fell for her a while ago."

He considered this for a moment and nodded. "We may not be together but I still really care about you so I want to make sure you're taken care of."

"She's extremely caring," Rachel told him quietly. "Regardless of the front she seems to erect whenever we're within the walls of school."

"If you're sure," he told her.

She nodded. "I am. I love her."

"I want to be mad at you for all of this," he told her. "But we were never really together. Not the way you guys are. I guess I'm more hurt that you felt you couldn't tell me."

"I'm sorry," she told him. "I promise full disclosure from now on."

"Full disclosure?" he repeated with a smirk, his teenage boy mind going places it shouldn't.

She rolled her eyes and smacked him. "Not funny."

His eyes were focused elsewhere and he shook his head. "No, what I'm imagining definitely isn't funny."

"Finn!" she exclaimed with a laugh. She hit him again and stood up, pulling him to his feet as well. "Are we okay?"

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. "We're okay."

**XX**

**A.N. **More party to come soon…more drama too! Does anyone else sense a good Santana background story coming? Hmmm… Please let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading!


	9. You know some real bad tricks

A.N. Okay this chapter is rated M to be on the safe side so be warned…some party lovin' is ahead!

**XX**

Rachel yelped as she was tugged into a room to her right and before she could scream for help, she was pressed gently into the door behind her and her lips were being assaulted by another set of very familiar lips. She instantly relaxed and melted into the embrace.

"Hi," Santana whispered against her lips.

Rachel smiled. "Hi yourself."

"Where have you been?" the cheerleader asked. "I've been looking for you for an hour."

"Talking to Finn," Rachel replied. She suddenly gasped as lips found a particularly sensitive spot of skin beneath her ear.

"Hmm," Santana mumbled before sliding her hands under Rachel's shirt. "God you smell so good."

"Thanks," she replied brightly. "It's this new lotion that I got the other day at the mall and the woman in the store said that it-"

Santana kissed her, effectively silencing the other girl. "Rach, shut up," she murmured gently against the diva's lips with a fond smile.

"Sorry." Rachel smiled and reached behind her girlfriend to pull the hair tie from her hair, running her hands through silky locks, loving how it framed the other girl's face beautifully. "You're so gorgeous."

"Have you seen you tonight?" Santana asked huskily. "You look insanely good."

"You really don't have to flatter me," Rachel whispered. "You're definitely getting into my pants tonight."

"Oh really?" Santana asked as she pulled Rachel's shirt over her head and attached her lips to another appealing stretch of skin on her girlfriend's chest.

Santana suddenly stopped and met her girlfriend's eyes. "Are you sure you're up to this after everything?"

"I'm fine, San," Rachel assured her.

"Promise me you'll tell me if you want to stop," she whispered. "We won't do anything you don't want to do. Okay?"

Rachel nodded and began popping buttons on the cheerleader's shirt and she pulled it from slender shoulders to toss it to the floor. "I'm fine."

Santana reached behind Rachel to lock the door and then pulled the other girl towards the bed. They both shed their jeans on their way to the bed, Rachel left in matching pale pink bra and panties with Santana decked out in black.

Santana suddenly stopped and took in the sight of the other girl and she couldn't help how her heart swelled in her chest and she swallowed back a wave of emotion. Her head dropped, her hair falling like a curtain around her face.

"San?" Rachel breathed as she took a step closer, her hand sweeping long locks from the cheerleader's face. "Sweetie, what is it?"

Santana shook her head, her eyes closing as the other girl pulled her into a hug and held her tight. "I love you."

Rachel pulled back enough to kiss her and she smiled. "I love you too."

Santana took a moment and her eyes swept over Rachel's face and she smiled. She ran a hand over Rachel's hair, allowing her fingers to tangle in the dark, silky tresses. "You really are beautiful."

Rachel grinned and pulled her into a soft, lingering kiss. "Are you okay?"

Santana nodded. "I am. I've just never felt like this before."

"I haven't either," Rachel admitted. She'd never had such strong feelings for anyone before.

Santana cupped Rachel's face and leaned in to draw her into a slow burning kiss and suddenly the air in the room was charged once again with want and desire. Breaths came out in uneven gasps and hands were suddenly everywhere, discarding any remaining items getting in their way.

Santana sat on the bed with Rachel straddling her lap and she pulled the diva down into a searing kiss, her lips and tongue dancing with the other girl's. She slid a hand between them and pressed her forehead to Rachel's, her other arm wrapping protectively around the diva.

"Ready, baby girl?" she whispered.

Rachel met her gaze and nodded. Her eyes closed for a moment as Santana entered her but she bit her lip a moment later, pleasure written across her beautiful features as Santana's fingers expertly brought her closer to the edge. A crease appeared in her brow as her mouth fell open.

Santana watched her girlfriend closely as she pumped slowly at first, her thumb grazing Rachel's clit. Rachel's eyes closed, dropping her head to Santana's shoulder.

Santana hissed when teeth suddenly closed on the skin on her shoulder and she pumped faster. She could feel the diva's nails digging into her back and her right hand felt Rachel's back arch, pressing her body into Santana further. She pressed on Rachel's clit once hard and was rewarded with a low groan.

A muffled moan suddenly escaped the diva's lips and Santana felt muscles tighten around her fingers, and heard a soft grunt in her ear, signaling that Rachel had come. Her hands continued their movement, wanting to draw the orgasm out as long as she could and she only removed her hand when the body on hers slacked completely.

Rachel's head rested against the cheerleader's shoulder as her breathing evened out.

"Good?" Santana whispered as she turned her head to kiss the corner of Rachel's mouth.

"Best ever," Rachel replied, her voice hoarse.

Santana smirked and she nodded. "Good."

Rachel kissed her quickly and pushed against her girlfriend's shoulders gently until Santana was on her back with Rachel still straddling her. She dropped a hand to either side of the cheerleader's head and leaned in painfully slow to drop a kiss to her lips.

She continued to drop random kisses on the other girl's cheeks, her neck, her chest, breasts, stomach and thighs.

She looped an arm around Santana's thigh as one hand moved to enter her girlfriend. Santana's head rolled back as Rachel entered her and she gasped when she felt Rachel's mouth on her clit and suddenly she felt something she'd never felt before. She lifted her head and that's when she heard a sound to match the sensation.

Rachel was humming.

And the look she gave Santana through her lashes as she did so was nearly enough to have the cheerleader coming. Of course, it didn't take long and a minute later she was slack with Rachel crawling back up her body.

"Oh my God, Rach," she whispered.

Rachel grinned. "Does that mean you liked my new trick?"

"_Ah mi dios, si_," the cheerleader mumbled with a nod as she pulled Rachel down on top of her.

Rachel suddenly shivered. "Have I ever told you how much I love when you speak drunk Spanish to me?"

"Just drunk Spanish?" Santana set her girlfriend with a smoldering look. "_Usted sacudió mi mundo_," she whispered, grinning when Rachel shivered again. She paused for a moment. "Were you humming the Journey mash-up?"

Rachel smiled wickedly. "Regionals are in a few days. We have to be at the top of our game."

"I won't be able to sing that song with a straight face now thanks to you," Santana told her with a grin.

"I just wanted to be sure you think of me any time you hear it," Rachel breathed as she pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

Santana gazed up at her. "You're going to be so amazing."

"So are you," Rachel told her genuinely. "Your solo on Don't Stop sounds fantastic. You and Noah sound great together." She propped herself up on her elbow, her head in her hand, and allowed her free hand to trace imaginary patterns on the toned skin of her girlfriend's stomach.

"Do you think we'll win?" Santana asked. "I don't really want to think about the possibility of us not placing."

"I can't think about it being over either," Rachel admitted softly.

"No matter what happens, this won't be over," Santana told her quietly. "You know that, right?"

Rachel met her eyes and nodded. "I do."

"Good. I love you, Rach." Santana pulled her closer and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

"Love you too," Rachel replied as she settled in next to her, wrapping one arm around her.

It only took a moment before round two began.

**XX**

**A.N. **Ah, young love…just some Rach/San love to pass the time. Please leave your thoughts and thanks for reading!


	10. And when it's really bad

**A.N. **Enjoy!

**XX**

The next morning Rachel opened her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in her head. She'd definitely had more to drink the night before than she'd ever had and she was regretting it.

One thing she didn't regret was the glorious ache in just about all of her muscles from the night before with Santana.

She allowed her fingers to dance along the tan, slender arm wrapped around her as she drifted between sleep and awake. She smiled and her eyes slid closed as she felt lips press against the back of her neck.

"Hi," Santana whispered.

"Morning," Rachel replied quietly. She brought Santana's palm to her lips and placed a gentle kiss there.

"That's about the only part of me that isn't sore this morning," Santana told her with a quiet laugh.

"And I thought I was sore because I'm out of shape," Rachel replied with a laugh of her own.

Santana shook her head. "Neither of us is out of shape…no conventional workouts use many of the muscles we worked last night."

Rachel sighed happily and pulled the cheerleader's arm around her tighter, burrowing back against her. "Last night was…"

"Amazing? Mind-blowing? Fantastic?" Santana supplied.

"The best night of my life," Rachel admitted softly. She turned so she was lying on her back and she caught Santana's eye for a moment before settling her gaze on the ceiling above her. "As annoying and self-centered and bossy as I am I never ever thought my high school experience would involve a night like last night."

"Rach, you are all of those things," Santana told her quietly, smiling when the girl next to her shot her a sharp look. "But you're also generous and caring and you're one of the most forgiving people I've ever met. And I feel kind of honored that I got to be your night. Because you were mine."

"I was your best too?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.

Santana shrugged, her expression turning embarrassed. "I've never felt like this about someone and to have a night like last night when it really meant something, it was beyond amazing. I know we've done it before, but last night felt different somehow."

"It did," Rachel agreed.

"Like it wasn't just about the sex," Santana mumbled, her face blushing a light crimson for a moment. "That's never what this was about. You get me more than _I_ get me most times."

Rachel kissed her deeply and held it. And held it. It wasn't a hungry kiss. It had a purpose and Rachel was careful to put every emotion she felt into that kiss and she was assured her message was delivered when she caught the bewildered expression on her girlfriend's face when she pulled back.

"Breakfast?" Rachel asked with a grin.

Santana grinned back, knowing in that moment that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. "Sounds perfect."

**XX**

A few minutes later the girls were in the kitchen pouring coffee and they joined Puck, Quinn, Mercedes, Kurt, Brittany, Mike and Finn on the back deck.

"Morning," Rachel greeted everyone. She took a moment to think about her current surroundings. She'd just spent the night at Noah Puckerman's house after a party with her cheerleader girlfriend and was having morning coffee the next day with a group of football players and cheerleaders. It was everything she'd ever wanted; yet the thing that made her happiest was the knowledge that she had the love of someone special and she and the glee club would be sharing an amazing night the following night.

"Dude, we're going to kill it tomorrow night," Puck told them.

"Did anyone else hear someone humming the mash-up at like 3 o'clock this morning?" Mercedes asked.

Santana suddenly snorted and she and Rachel dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"That was me, I'm sorry," Rachel told them, sharing a private look with Santana, missing the strange looks everyone else was giving them.

"I need more sugar in my coffee," Santana told her quietly. "I'll be right back."

"I'm surprised she's drinking coffee," Quinn noted once Santana was out of sight.

Rachel sighed. "Believe me, I'm working on undoing the years of damage Sue Sylvester has done."

Quinn smiled warmly at her, realizing again how caring Rachel Berry could be. "She's really lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Quinn," Rachel replied with a smile. She watched as Puck, Finn and Kurt practiced a few of the moves from their number.

"So, Finnocence, you're cool with me and Rachel?" Santana asked as she sat back down next to her girlfriend.

Finn stopped dancing and nodded. "Of course."

Mercedes joined the other two guys as Finn moved to Rachel's side.

"Good," she replied. "Because if I have to sit through another Jesse's Girl moment, it won't be pretty."

"I'm not sure that was all about Rachel to be honest," he told her. He caught the look Rachel shot him and held up his hands with a smile. "You've been dating someone else pretty much the whole time. Relax."

"True," Rachel replied with a bashful smile.

He shook his head. "I just mean that I knew he never had good intentions and to see someone I care about being led on made me a little crazy."

"So you sang about wanting her?" Santana asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know, maybe I figured if she was with me she wouldn't be with him."

"I'm right here you know," Rachel suddenly interjected.

"And you were kind of cool with everything," Finn told Rachel. "I mean, you let your girlfriend take my v-card."

Suddenly everyone on the deck got very still and very quiet. Santana winced, her eyes closing against the wrath that was sure to follow.

Rachel's eyes got wide and she sat stunned for a moment, her eyes on Santana. "You told me you didn't…" She suddenly turned to him and pointed a finger at him. "_You_ told me you couldn't go through with it. You both lied to me."

"Rachel, wait, let me explain," Santana said, standing up.

The rest of their friends watched with worried and surprised expressions at the events unfolding.

"You _slept_ with him?" Rachel boomed, her eyes furious.

"You were gonna sleep with Jesse St. Jerkoff," Santana argued back. "And besides, if I remember correctly technically we were broken up."

"Technically? We broke up for 6 hours, Santana" Rachel ground out. "And I _never_ would have gone through with it with Jesse. You know that."

Santana paused for a moment to take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Rachel, I was really mad at you that night and I did something stupid." She shot a glance at Finn and shook her head. "No offense."

He shook his head and made a quick motion with his hands telling her to focus her attention on Rachel. He knew from experience that she didn't like it when she was fighting with you and you didn't pay attention. He stood up from his chair and tried to round everyone up to give the other two some privacy.

Rachel and Santana stood on the deck, neither of them saying anything. Quinn gave her friend's hand a squeeze as she passed and once the door to the house was closed Santana faced Rachel again.

"I made a mistake," she said softly, taking a step towards the other girl. She tried to let her anger go, knowing it wouldn't get them anywhere.

"What if we fight again?" Rachel asked, none of her anger disappearing. "Will you run off and sleep with Noah?"

Santana's eyes narrowed. "Of course not."

"How do I know you won't?" Rachel asked, her jaw set and anger flashing in her eyes.

The cheerleader felt her own anger bubble up in her again. "I screwed up. Okay, I get it."

"You lied to me and slept with someone else," Rachel shot back. "I think that's one better than a screw up."

"I'm sorry," Santana told her.

"Are you sure you weren't subconsciously trying to get out of this with me?" Rachel asked suddenly.

"What?" Santana asked, her jaw clenched, trying not to say something stupid.

"You don't do relationships," Rachel pointed out. "Because of your dad. Maybe you wanted me to find out so I'd leave you."

"First of all, don't _ever_ mention him again," Santana bit back. "And second? It was a stupid mistake. If you can't let it go then I'm not sure what we're doing."

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "You know what? Suddenly I'm not so sure what we're doing either."

Santana watched her go and once the door was shut again she let out a growl of frustration. She was pissed at herself for lying to Rachel in the first place.

She still remembered how Rachel had come to her house late that night. She'd been so sick with herself for leading Jesse on and Santana didn't spare him a second thought because she'd apparently shared Finn's affinity for disliking him intensely.

Santana had been sick with herself as well, but for entirely different reasons. She'd slept with Finn because she was mad at Rachel and then she lied to Rachel about it.

They made up that same night and Santana figured it would be best to keep that one secret from the other girl. If she found out it would only end up hurting her. The guilt of that night had been eating at her for months.

"S?" a voice called out from behind her, startling her.

Santana turned to find Quinn approaching and she sighed. "I always manage to find ways to take things to another level of horrible, don't I?"

"Don't beat yourself up," Quinn told her. "There were obviously circumstances."

"Well if my father taught me anything other than how to be an emotional retard, it's how to be a grade A asshole," she grumbled.

"S, come on," Quinn coaxed, wrapping an arm around her friend. "Your dad was a total ass, but you're not him. You don't ever have to be him if you don't want to be."

"I'll end up just like him whether I want to be or not," the brunette mumbled.

"You know that's not true," Quinn told her.

"Isn't it?" Santana wondered. "He's alone because he was a cheating, lying, asshole who couldn't stop hurting my mom. How am I any different?"

"You love her," Quinn told her quietly. "And she's crazy about you. You two will work it out."

"Did you see the way she looked at me?" Santana asked, her voice suddenly cracking as she pictured Rachel's face crumpling when she heard the truth. "I'll be surprised if she ever speaks to me again."

"Give her some time to cool off," Quinn suggested. "Tina drove her home so just give it a little time and then talk to her."

Santana's chin quivered and she shook her head, turning into Quinn, allowing the blonde to pull her into a hug. Her tears finally spilled over and she collapsed into a sobbing mess.

**XX**

**A.N. **Drama! Please let me know what you thought! More to come soon, thanks for reading!


	11. I guess it's not that bad

A.N. Enjoy!

**XX**

Santana and Quinn entered the kitchen a few minutes later and found everyone standing around discussing the drama.

"I don't know why I thought Regionals would have less drama than sectionals," Kurt was saying.

"Forgive me for screwing with the peace," Santana mumbled as she slid up onto the counter.

"I didn't mean…" Kurt mumbled, his eyes wide.

"We should talk about this," Finn interrupted. "We need to be together if we have a shot at winning tomorrow."

"We don't have a prayer if Rachel doesn't sing," Mercedes agreed.

"Who said she won't sing?" Santana asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

Everyone exchanged a glance. "Well," Mercedes started. "She basically implied that if you sing, she won't."

Santana rolled her eyes. "If one of us is out, we don't have 12 and can't compete anyways. She's bluffing."

"She's pissed," Kurt pointed out. "You didn't see her."

"Do you think you guys can work it out before tomorrow night?" Artie asked. "Don't get me wrong, we want you both to be happy and work it out anyways, but if it can be done before we perform it would be really nice."

"I'll give her some time to cool off," Santana told them, shooting a look to Quinn who smiled with a nod. She turned her attention to the other original members of the glee club and sighed. "Do you think you guys could run some interference in the meantime? Maybe remind her why she loves me?"

Mercedes, Kurt and Artie all nodded. "We got you covered, girl," Mercedes assured her.

"Thank you," Santana replied with a smile.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Finn asked hesitantly.

"I think you've said enough," Santana replied with a sigh. She shook her head. "I don't think that's the best idea. She's pissed at you too."

"Well maybe I can patch things up with her then," he suggested.

She shot him a look. "Sorry, buddy, I'm calling first dibs on her forgiveness."

He nodded, realizing she was right. Even after Jesse he wasn't used to someone else having dibs on Rachel's heart and it would take some getting used to.

"Part two here tonight if you guys want," Puck told them all as they gathered their things to head home. "Go home and rest up. Gotta finish the keg."

Quinn rolled her eyes but shot Santana a wink. "You guys work it out and we'll celebrate tonight."

Santana nodded and smiled when Quinn and Brittany both pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, guys."

**XX**

A few hours later Santana knocked gently on Rachel's front door. A minute later Mercedes pulled the door open and gave the cheerleader a smile.

"Hey, girl," she greeted softly.

"How is she?" Santana asked immediately. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Hi. How are you? How is she?"

Mercedes smirked and nodded. "Better."

Santana swallowed hard, her anxiety eating her alive. "Good."

"We'll get out of here and give you some privacy," Mercedes said.

Santana nodded. "Hopefully we'll see you guys later tonight."

Mercedes nodded. "I hope so too."

The two headed for the kitchen where Kurt, Tina and Artie were crowded around Rachel sitting at the table.

Santana's eyes locked onto Rachel the moment she saw her and she barely registered everyone leaving, wishing her luck quietly as they did.

"There's no excuse for what I did," Santana told her quietly as soon as she heard the door shut.

Rachel shook her head, but remained silent.

"It scares me to death because I have someone that I love more than I ever thought possible and I did the one thing I always swore I'd never do." She sighed heavily and moved to sit at the table next to Rachel. "I lied and cheated and hurt you." She bit back her tears. "I swore I'd never be like him and I did everything he did."

"You didn't cheat," Rachel whispered, not fully trusting her voice.

"I did," Santana argued back. "Technically we were broken up but it was cheating because my heart so clearly belonged to you when I did what I did. It's not even a question of cheating."

"I don't want to be mad at you for this," Rachel told her. "The part with Finn I can forgive because we were fighting and technically broken up. But the lying is hard for me to get."

"I was terrified that you would leave me," Santana explained. "I've done some really terrible things, most of them to you, but that was the worst and I thought you would finally see me for the screw up that I am, so I lied."

"You're not a screw up, San," Rachel told her quietly. "You made a mistake." She reached for her girlfriend's hands. "But if you lie like this to me again I'm not sure we'll survive it."

"I can promise you that will never happen again," Santana assured her.

"Good," Rachel replied, a smile appearing on her lips. "Then I can forgive you for the lying too."

A relieved sigh fell from the cheerleader's lips and tears welled in her eyes as she leaned forward to pull Rachel into her arms. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," Rachel whispered. She pulled back and cupped her girlfriend's face gently and looked her in the eye. "Now you listen to me, Santana Lopez, you are not your father. You made a mistake but you are _nothing_ like him."

"You have to admit I have a knack for cruelty," Santana pointed out, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Sweetie, look at me," Rachel ordered gently. She waited until dark eyes met hers and she smiled. "Sometimes you say cruel things, but usually they're to me and we both know it's a show."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Santana mumbled with pleading eyes.

"Then let me finish," Rachel urged her gently. Santana nodded wordlessly. "You and I both know that you would never raise a hand to anyone the way he did to you and your mom. And despite the front you put up at school, you're one of the sweetest, gentlest, kindest people I've ever known."

Santana dropped her gaze again and several tears slid down her cheeks and she swiped at them quickly. "That's not entirely true." She met Rachel's eyes. "I would have killed that football goon that hurt you if you'd let me."

"I don't believe that for a second," Rachel told her. "Besides, protecting me is something _entirely_ different."

Santana nodded, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "I don't really want to talk about my father anymore."

Rachel nodded. She was shocked the conversation had gone on as long as it had. Usually Santana clamped down the moment her father even came up. "Okay."

"So we're okay?" Santana asked after a moment.

Rachel nodded and stood up, pulling the cheerleader with her and into her arms. "We're fine."

"Good," Santana breathed against her neck. "I hate when you're mad at me."

"I hate when we fight too,' Rachel agreed.

Neither of them spoke for a while as they simply enjoyed being in each other's arms.

"So, Puck wants to have round two tonight to drain the keg," Santana told her quietly. "I guess you glee kids can't hold your beer like the football team can."

Rachel smiled with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't mind spending time with everyone for a while, but I want to come back here after. I'd like some alone time."

"All night can be alone time if you want," Santana told her seriously. "We don't have to go over at all if you don't want to."

"I think we should," Rachel told her with a shrug. "It'll give us a chance to go over the number one more time and we need to be sure we've got team solidarity and all that."

"Okay," Santana answered simply, pressing her lips to her girlfriend's forehead.

"I love you," Rachel told her.

"Love you too, baby girl," Santana replied tenderly.

Rachel's smile suddenly turned devious and she pulled Santana towards the stairs. "So, what do you say to a shower and a nap?"

Santana grinned, a shiver passing down her spine. "I'd say I doubt the shower will lead to a nap."

Rachel shrugged, a wicked glint in her eyes. "Trust me, you'll need a nap after what I'm about to do to you in the shower."

**XX**

A.N. I know, I know, the angst was short-lived. I hate seeing them fight. That doesn't mean there will be a shortage of angst in the upcoming chapters. Next time you can look forward to round two of Puck's party. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought!


	12. Stumbling back next to me

A.N. Enjoy!

**XX**

"Thank God you guys are here," Quinn exclaimed as she dragged Rachel and Santana through the front door of Puck's house later that night.

"I know we're awesome and everything, Q, but surely you can handle a few hours without us," Santana joked.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw a small red welt on Rachel's right cheek. "What happened to your face, Rachel?"

Santana coughed to cover her laughter and Rachel blushed a deep scarlet. "It's nothing."

"Nothing, my ass," Quinn responded, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Santana's knee," Rachel explained simply.

"How did Santana's knee get anywhere near-" Quinn cut herself off when she realized what had happened and she blushed as red as Rachel and Santana let out a bark of laughter.

"At least she missed my nose," Rachel replied with a shrug.

"Okay, stop," Quinn ordered, waving her hands around in front of her. "I don't need to know any more about your sexcapades from this afternoon."

It was then that they heard singing from the other room. It sounded like everyone in the club was completely hammered and they were trying to go through the routine.

"Wow," Santana breathed, a grin quirking her lips. "Is everyone drunk?"

"Completely," Quinn answered.

"Where have you guys been?" Mercedes asked as she stumbled into the room and greeted them with sloppy hugs.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the look the couple exchanged. "Nevermind. You don't want to know."

"You told us to make up," Santana pointed out with a shrug as she squeezed Rachel gently.

Quinn rolled her eyes and led them both to the living room where everyone was dancing and singing and it was a total mess. The pairings were all wrong, they were singing songs from sectionals instead of the set list they'd decided on for Regionals and several of them were missing articles of clothing.

"Why doesn't Mike have any pants on?" Rachel asked the blonde quietly.

"Strip poker," Quinn responded.

"How long have they been drinking?" Santana asked.

"Some longer than others," Quinn told them. "The guys didn't leave earlier so they've been drunk since last night I think."

"I'm not sure getting tanked the night before our biggest competition is the best idea," the cheerleader mumbled.

"Well they finished the keg about an hour ago and there's nothing else to drink," Quinn explained. "Hence the shift from strip poker to rehearsal."

"Well at least it won't get any worse," Rachel muttered.

"Look what I found!" Puck exclaimed as he wandered in the room wearing jeans and one sock. He held up two bottles. One vodka, one whiskey. Everyone cheered and he seemed to finally notice the other two had joined them. "S! Rachel! It's about damn time. You missed the keg, but we have something better."

Everyone suddenly gathered around the two girls that had just arrived, all meeting them with sloppy hugs and drunken kisses on the cheek.

"So does this mean you've made up and made out?" Kurt asked with a lazy smile, his eyes narrowed drunkenly into slits.

"You two cool?" Mercedes asked.

"We're fine," Santana answered with a grin.

"How long have you guys been drinking?" Rachel asked.

Tina scrunched up her face in thought and glanced at her wrist, which held no watch and she sighed. "Since about 5."

Santana finally managed to get the two bottles from Puck's hands and she shoved Quinn up to him to distract him from the alcohol. "Guys, we have the biggest competition of the year tomorrow and you're all plowed."

"It's time to sober up," Rachel agreed. They were both booed loudly as the team continued their dancing and singing.

"I'm so glad you're both here," Quinn sighed happily. "I've been telling them that for 3 hours."

"Q, put some coffee on and me and Rach will go and get some supplies," Santana said as she handed the bottles to Rachel. "Hold on to these."

"Keep them moving if you can," Rachel told Quinn with a smile. "We won't be long."

Santana grasped her hand and they were out the door.

"Where exactly are we going?" Rachel asked once they were in Santana's car again.

"We're on food detail," she replied. "Trust me, it'll help."

**XX**

Forty-five minutes later the two girls pushed through the front door with their arms loaded and they smiled when they still heard some singing coming from the other room, though now it sounded a bit more coherent. And it was the proper songs.

"We're back!" Santana called.

"And we brought food!" Rachel called after her as they headed for the kitchen.

They smiled when they heard a near stampede headed their way and they set their bags and boxes down on the table and began unpacking.

"Oh my God, I love you," Puck told them both as he grabbed a piece of pizza. He had somehow managed to find a shirt, but it was pink and had a picture of a unicorn on it.

"Is that B's shirt?" Santana asked him. She caught sight of Brittany hovering nearby with Mike and she was wearing Mike's blue tee shirt and Mike had found his pants but was now shirtless.

"Maybe," he replied, his face hovering close to hers. He smirked and did a little dance before stuffing half a slice of pizza in his mouth.

"Charming," Rachel told him.

"Eat up and either drink some water or some coffee," Santana told them all. "You guys have to sober up some."

"Never!" Finn exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. He had a necktie tied around his head and was carrying a plastic baseball bat in one hand. He paused in the doorway and mimicked the Captain Morgan pose.

"Shut up, Finn," Santana ordered with a smile. "Sit and eat like everyone else."

"Mmm, okay," he agreed instantly as he approached and began poking through everything.

"Everything okay while we were gone?" Santana asked Quinn.

She nodded and marveled at the sudden silence. "Puck's been turning the house upside down trying to find the alcohol you took from him."

"It's in my trunk," Santana told her with a wink. "And it's staying there until we win Regionals tomorrow."

Quinn smiled and turned to watch everyone sitting around the kitchen eating and chatting. "This is nice. All of us together."

"It is," Santana agreed. She watched Rachel going from person to person and handing out aspirin and bottles of water to each of them.

"You guys okay?" Quinn asked her.

Santana nodded. "She forgave me for everything."

"I knew she would," the blonde replied. "She adores you."

"I didn't deserve it," Santana muttered.

"Okay, stop right there," Quinn ordered softly. "You deserve it. You deserve her. You deserve to be loved. Get it through your thick skull."

Santana sighed dramatically and finally smiled. "Fine. I deserve it all."

Quinn looped her arm through her friend's and they sat simply taking everything in around them. Well…nearly everything.

"Mmm, cupcakes," Rachel mumbled as she spotted a box of chocolate cupcakes on the counter in the kitchen.

**XX**

An hour later Santana found Rachel and Puck sitting on the kitchen floor, hidden from view by the island, a pink bakers box of cupcakes between them, laughing hysterically. Puck had a cupcake in each hand and he seemed to be putting on some kind of twisted puppet show for Rachel with them.

"Please tell me those aren't pot cupcakes," Santana groaned.

"San!" Rachel exclaimed with a grin, reaching out for her, wiggling her fingers to coax the other girl closer. "You have to see this. Noah is making the cupcakes sing."

Santana reached down to smack him. "Puck! You gave her pot cupcakes? Look at her, she's completely fucked up!"

Rachel and Puck both let out cackles of hysterical laughter.

"Potcakes." Rachel snorted as she reached for another. "I'm hungry."

"Oh no you don't!" Santana snapped as she snatched the box up off the floor.

"Hey, give those back!" Puck ordered as he scrambled off the floor and reached out to grab them back from her.

"I wanted one of those," Rachel grumbled with a pout.

Quinn glanced over when she heard Puck and rolled her eyes. "Please tell me those aren't his secret recipe."

"Hell yeah they are," he replied with a smirk.

Quinn peeked around the corner of the island and spotted Rachel still sitting on the floor finishing a cupcake. "So much for rehearsal."

"Come on, babe," Santana mumbled as she pulled Rachel up off the floor. She shook her head as she took in her girlfriend's appearance. "You're a mess you know that?"

Rachel gazed up at her with slightly red eyes and a sudden frown. "I didn't know."

"I know," Santana murmured as she ran a hand over Rachel's hair affectionately. "Come on, I'll take you home. I'm a terrible influence on you."

"Actually I think this one was more Puck than you," Quinn amended as she shot him a glare.

Santana shrugged, a smirk on her lips. "I can live with that."

"You're not a bad influence," Rachel told her quietly. "Tonight would have ended the same if I was with you, or Finn or if I was single."

"We'll talk about it later," Santana replied as she glanced around, realizing several members of the club were well within earshot of their conversation and she wasn't about to let them in on her insecurities and vulnerabilities.

The pair said good-bye to everyone and Santana drove them back to Rachel's house, not able to help the smile that seemed permanently plastered on her face as she listened to Rachel sing the cupcake song Puck had made up. The lyrics were dirty and most likely about her and Rachel, and to hear the diva singing them was nearly too much for her to handle.

"Okay you can't sing that anymore," Santana finally told her, barely able to suppress her grin.

"It's funny," Rachel replied with pout.

"It's dirty and it sounds really strange coming out of your mouth," Santana replied.

"You don't want to lick my icing?" Rachel asked, her face the picture of innocence, but her eyes were mischievous.

Santana burst out laughing and shook her head. "Enough. You're never getting high again."

"I don't really like it," Rachel admitted. "Though, I only had three cupcakes so it's not that bad."

"I'm gonna kill him," Santana muttered.

They drove in silence for a while and just when Santana was sure that Rachel had fallen asleep she heard the diva making a smacking sound with her mouth.

"Rach? You okay?" she asked.

"There's something wrong with my tongue," Rachel mumbled.

"It's cottonmouth, sweetie," Santana told her. "It's totally normal."

"I don't like it," Rachel mumbled. "Do you think it will affect my singing tomorrow? We can't have that." She started quietly singing scales.

"No, babe, you'll be just fine by morning," Santana told her, an amused smile quirking her lips.

"I'm starving," Rachel told her quietly.

"What do you feel like?" Santana asked.

"Pancakes," Rachel practically moaned.

Santana laughed. "I'll make you some when we get home, okay?"

Rachel sighed happily and pulled her girlfriend's hand into her lap, cradling it with both of hers. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie," Santana replied.

Ten minutes later the two girls entered the Berry house and Rachel kicked her shoes off and headed straight for the fridge. She yanked the door open and began rooting around for something to eat. Santana busied herself reaching around the shorter girl to gather everything she'd need for vegan pancakes.

Rachel pulled a jar of pickles from the door and closed it, sliding to the floor to enjoy her snack.

"Pickles and pancakes?" Santana asked, wrinkling her nose. "Gross." She watched her girlfriend with amused, loving eyes for a moment before turning to the stove to make pancakes.

She smiled as Rachel launched back into the cupcake song as she cooked them a late night snack. She didn't notice when the other girl went silent a few minutes later. Santana turned with a stack of pancakes on a plate to set down on the counter and she found Rachel sound asleep leaned back against the fridge, snoring lightly.

She set the plate on the counter and crouched down next to Rachel on the floor, running a hand over her hair. "Rach?"

The diva sighed in her sleep and her lips twitched but remained asleep.

Santana ran her hands up and down Rachel's arms lightly. "Rach, sweetie, wake up."

Rachel cracked an eye open. "Hmm?"

"Come on, babe," Santana coaxed softly, pulling Rachel's hands to try to get the other girl standing. "Let's get you to bed."

Rachel let herself be pulled to her feet and she sighed happily as Santana's arms wrapped securely around her and guided her upstairs. As she stepped through the threshold of her bedroom Rachel began shedding clothes and she slid into bed in nothing but her panties and was snoring in moments.

Santana stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and she watched the other girl fast asleep in bed and she felt her heart swell in her chest. She was so in love that it hurt, but in nothing but the best way possible.

She headed downstairs for a few minutes and cleaned up the mess she'd made making pancakes and she covered the food and slid it into the fridge. She made sure the doors were locked and turned off the lights before heading up the stairs to slide into bed with her girlfriend.

She tried to curl herself around the soft, warm body next to her in bed but found she couldn't shut her mind off. Her thoughts were swirling in her head about the next day and she was extremely nervous about Regionals.

She loved glee more than she'd ever admit and the thought of not placing made her heart thunder harder against her ribs. The thought of not having it at school anymore was probably the worst possible outcome and she just prayed that everything worked out for the best.

Rachel suddenly rolled over and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and sighing happily in her sleep. That was all it took for Santana to calm down and snuggle into the embrace before falling into a deep sleep herself.

**XX**

**A.N. **Yeah, so a high Rachel would pretty much be the funniest thing ever on glee in my opinion…but I'm a little strange so maybe it's just me. Anyhoo…hope you liked this chapter. Up next, Regionals! Shelby drama, Jesse drama and some Rachel drama ahead, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	13. I see right through

**A.N. **Enjoy!

**XX**

"Rach?" a soft voice called from the doorway to the New Directions dressing room. "Are you ready to go?"

Rachel looked up to find Santana standing unsure in the doorway. She nodded, swallowing back another wave of tears. "Yeah."

Santana waited until Rachel was by her side before wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a gentle squeeze and pressing a kiss to her temple. She knew Rachel was taking this harder than anyone else in the club. "Everything is going to be okay."

"How can you say that?" Rachel asked, her voice thick with emotion. "We didn't place. It's over."

"I know," Santana replied, her own anxiety and anger seeping into her voice.

The two walked down the hall and Santana groaned when she saw Jesse waiting at the end of the hall for them. She released Rachel and took several quick strides to reach him before her girlfriend could.

She stepped into his personal space and pointed a slender finger in his face. "One wrong word to her and I'll break something you definitely find more valuable than your nose."

Jesse grinned and held his hands up as Rachel got to them. "I come in peace."

"Be good or you'll leave in peace too, ass," Santana growled. "_Several_ pieces actually."

"New guard dog, Rachel?" Jesse asked with a smirk. "I just wanted to congratulate you," he told them both, something sinister swimming in his eyes. "It was truly a valiant effort, but it was painfully obvious that you were nowhere near as polished as we were."

"Not that it would ever matter to you, but your pointers are kind of irrelevant," Rachel told him with a frown. "Glee is finished at McKinley because we didn't place today."

Jesse's smile faltered. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Santana grumbled with a glare. "Did you have something even remotely useful to add to this conversation or can we go now? We're on our way to the hospital."

"What are you going to do next year?" he asked Rachel. "Our relationship might be over but I can't really bear the thought of you not having somewhere to voice your talent."

"It's really none of your business," Rachel told him with a glare of her own.

"Join Vocal Adrenaline," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "You know Shelby will have you."

Santana felt the girl next to her stiffen at the mention of her mother. She still remembered the devastated look on Rachel's face when she told Santana about singing with Shelby after school one day. Rachel admitted to her that she'd always dreamed of singing with her mother but Santana was worried the duet had caused more harm than good. She wanted Rachel as far away from that woman as possible.

"I'm not so sure she would," Rachel mumbled, comforted by the squeeze of Santana's arm around her. "Besides, I can't leave my friends."

"Or your girlfriend apparently," Jesse noted with a raised eyebrow.

"Was there something else?" Rachel asked. "We were leaving."

He shook his head. "Good luck next year."

"Whatever," Rachel mumbled back as she allowed Santana guide her towards the exit.

Santana made sure Rachel was tucked safely in her passenger seat before shutting the door and getting in the driver's side. The ride to the hospital was silent.

"Would you ever consider it?" Santana suddenly asked once the car was tucked into a parking space.

"What?" Rachel asked, pinching the bridge of her nose to fight the headache that was forming.

"Leaving to join VA?" she clarified.

Rachel shook her head. "No. I don't belong there."

"They're the best," Santana pointed out. "And she is your mom."

"She's my mother," Rachel corrected with a sigh. "Not my mom. And Shelby won't be there next year anyways."

"Still, no glee at McKinley for you will be hell next year," Santana responded. She felt a coldness settle in the pit of her stomach suddenly and frowned. "Maybe you should go."

"You want me to leave McKinley?" Rachel asked, hurt flashing in her eyes.

"Of course I don't," Santana responded as she reached for Rachel's hand. "I just want you to be happy."

"I can be just as happy with you and our friends," Rachel assured her.

Santana nodded, letting it drop. "Come on, let's go see Q."

**XX**

"Shelby?" Rachel called out as she spotted her mother in the hospital while they waited to see Quinn.

Shelby turned and smiled at her daughter. "Hi, Rachel."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Shelby's eyes went wide for a moment. "Jesse told me you were here," she lied smoothly. "He told me about the egging."

Santana frowned when she realized the older woman was lying. She made the exact same facial expression that Rachel did when she lied and Santana wondered why the Vocal Adrenaline coach was really at the hospital.

"Oh," Rachel sighed, her head falling. She felt comforted immediately as Santana slid an arm around her and squeezed gently.

Shelby glanced at Santana for a moment before she leaned forward and cupped Rachel's chin gently. "Please tell me this black eye isn't a result of that egging."

"No," Rachel replied softly.

"I don't really think that's any of your business," Santana suddenly cut in.

"And you are?" Shelby asked as she turned to the other girl, one eyebrow raised.

The Latina stuck her hand out. "Santana Lopez. Rachel's girlfriend."

"You're the one that broke his nose." A smile quirked her lips and shook the girl's hand. "Shelby Corcoran."

"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'm not sure it is," Santana told her with a shrug. "No offense."

Shelby laughed and shook her head. "Somehow none taken." She looked to Rachel again. "I like her."

Rachel laughed. "Me too."

Shelby smiled for a moment before growing serious. "He's not competing at Nationals for what he did to you." Rachel's eyes went wide. "He admitted that he didn't work alone -that much I suspected- but he took full responsibility for it," she told Rachel. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Rachel sighed. "I know you used him so I'd find you but I also know you would never knowingly let him do something like that to me."

"Of course not," Shelby told her softly. "He also told me that your glee club is being shut down."

"We had to place to keep it going," Rachel admitted softly.

"Well there's a place for you in Vocal Adrenaline if you want it," Shelby told her. "I'm leaving but I can assure you a spot if you'd like it."

Rachel shook her head. "Thank you but I can't leave my friends."

Shelby smiled and nodded. "If you change your mind…"

"Rachel? Santana?" Will called from behind them. "Quinn is asking for you."

Rachel nodded to him and turned back to her mother. "Good luck at Nationals."

Shelby smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Santana. "Take care of her."

Santana gave her a nod and squeezed Rachel gently. They both watched as Shelby walked away and they turned and headed back to the rest of the group so they could visit with Quinn.

"You okay?" Santana asked quietly.

Rachel nodded. "Somehow I don't think I've seen the last of her."

Santana shook her head. "Somehow I think you're right."

**XX**

**A.N. **Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll let me know what you thought!


	14. And Underneath

**A.N. **A little random for the day…

**XX**

"This movie is terrible," Santana mumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"It's a classic." Rachel smiled.

The cheerleader sighed. "I hate subtitles. And spare me the jokes about dumb cheerleaders and reading."

"Why do you hate subtitles?" Rachel asked. She turned on her side, the movie forgotten as she gazed at the girl next to her.

Santana shrugged. "Because I like to look at people's faces when they speak."  
Rachel grinned. "Oh really?"

Santana smirked and met her girlfriend's gaze evenly and stared into her eyes for a long moment. "You can tell so much about someone by their eyes."

"And what do my eyes tell you?" Rachel wondered, pressing a gentle kiss to the other girl's lips.

"That you have a kind, forgiving soul," Santana murmured lovingly. "And you always try to see the best in people. You're an eternal optimist."

"I do try," Rachel replied brightly. She decided it was her turn and she stared into Santana's eyes for a few seconds. "Your eyes are reluctant. Like if you let someone look into them for too long they'll see the real you." She paused. "They're also the slightest bit scared or nervous. Are you alright?" She'd only been playing around but she did see something in her girlfriend's eyes that troubled her.

Santana nodded. "I'm fine."

Rachel watched her for a moment and shook her head. "Something is on your mind."

Santana shrugged a shoulder, a heavy sigh falling from her lips. "My dad wants to have lunch with me."

"Can I veto this idea?" Rachel asked immediately.

Santana sat pensively for a few moments. "I know I shouldn't want to because he's a monumental ass, but he's still my dad."

"I understand," Rachel told her quietly. "It's the same with Shelby and myself."

"I guess it is," Santana realized. "Even though she never beat your ass for dropping her beer on the floor."

"No, but I can promise that her abandonment, not once but twice, has certainly left a scar that won't soon fade," Rachel admitted.

"So you don't think I should?" Santana asked.

Rachel shrugged, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "I just would hate to see you get hurt. But I can certainly sympathize with your need to connect with a parent, even one with a less than stellar track record such as your dad."

"I thought we worked on you not speaking in paragraphs anymore," Santana mumbled, a ghost of a smile quirking her lips.

Rachel frowned. "I'm sorry. Thinking about you having lunch with someone that has been physically abusive to you in the past makes me nervous and I tend to revert back to my old ways when I'm nervous."

"Rach, it'll be fine," Santana assured her. "It's just lunch. As bad as he was back then I doubt he'll make a scene in a public place."

"I could come with you if you want," Rachel suggested tentatively.

Santana shook her head. "I'll be fine. I'll come over here before and after so you know I'm okay."

"Promise?" Rachel asked.

"Promise," Santana agreed.

**XX**

Rachel stepped out of Santana's car and gazed up at the huge building with a frown. Her face relaxed when she felt a warm hand slide into hers and give it a gentle tug.

"It's not that bad, Rach," Santana told her softly with a chuckle. "Come on."

"I hate this place," Rachel sighed.

"Why?" Santana laughed. "It's the mall. Most teenage girls love it here."

"Teenage girls with a mother or a sister or friends to tell her what kinds of things to buy," Rachel argued as she was pulled towards the doors. "Not girls like me who obviously had absolutely no idea what a fashion sense was."

"You were on to something with those skirts," Santana reminded her. "You have fantastic legs."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sweet talking me won't get you what you want."

"Yes it will," Santana argued with a wink.

Rachel sighed, her head bobbing in a nod reluctantly. "I know."

"Come on," Santana coaxed gently. "We have to find something for Q."

The girls entered the mall and Rachel protested only half-heartedly when Santana pulled her into several clothing stores and bought her several items. They wandered around aimlessly for a while, not entirely sure what to get Quinn for a gift.

Santana was only half listening as Rachel went into a monologue about the food court when she suddenly felt the girl stiffen next to her. Her words cut off abruptly and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Santana turned to face her and when she saw the look on Rachel's face she frowned and followed her line of sight until she caught sight of Max walking…well, limping through the mall with a few of his football friends.

She turned back to Rachel and reached out for her, frowning deeper when Rachel flinched under her touch, meeting her gaze with wide, startled eyes.

"I'm sorry." Santana frowned but remained still.

Rachel shook her head, her eyes instantly seeking out the giant football player and she watched his form retreat further away from him.

"Rach, look at me," Santana ordered gently as she stood in front of the diva, moving her body into her girlfriend's line of sight. Her hands rested gently on Rachel's shoulders.

Rachel met her eyes and let out a breath. "Sorry."

"Are you alright?" Santana asked softly.

Rachel nodded. "What about a picture frame? We can get a digital one and put pictures of everyone from glee in it."

"I'm sure she'd love it," Santana told her with a frown. She knew Rachel was far more affected by the boy's presence than she was letting on, but didn't push since they were in the middle of the mall.

She was concerned about the smaller girl walking next to her. She seemed to be more shaken by the incident with the football player than she was letting on but she wasn't letting Santana in on it and that was the part that really had her worried.

The girls found the frame they were looking for and picked up a few more things from various shops at the mall. Rachel seemed to grow more quiet and pensive with each step she took and to fill the awkward void, Santana found herself talking more and more and by the time they reached the hospital, Santana felt like an idiot.

**XX**

Santana was still going on about several peoples' fashion disasters when she pushed Quinn's hospital room door open.

Quinn was in the room alone watching TV and she looked up with a grin when the two girls entered. "Hi."

"Hey, Q," Santana said with a brighter-than-usual smile. "You're all alone?"

Quinn found that Santana's smile alarmed her for reasons unknown. "Puck went home to get some rest and Mom went home to grab a shower."

"Hi," Rachel greeted softly. The second alarm bell went off in her head.

Santana immediately launched into telling Quinn about the fashion disasters at the mall as well as various gossipy things going on in the outside world.

Quinn watched the two girls carefully. It seemed that Santana was talking entirely too much and Rachel entirely too little.

"Hey, S?" Quinn asked, cutting the taller brunette off.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could swipe me some jello?" Quinn asked with a sly grin.

Santana nodded and kissed Rachel quickly. "Sure. I'll be right back."

Quinn smiled and waited until she was gone before turning to the other girl in the room with her. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Rachel asked.

"You're hardly said three words since you guys got here and Santana has been talking my ear off since you walked in the door." Quinn gave her a warm smile. "What's going on?"

Rachel let out a shaky breath, her eyes falling to her hands. "We saw Max at the mall when we were shopping."

Quinn frowned. "Did Santana kill him?"

"No," Rachel replied with a shake of her head. Quinn waited for her to continue but she didn't.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked.

Rachel nodded. "He's been out of school since it happened so I haven't seen him until today and the look he gave me led me to believe that whatever his problem is with me, it's not over, regardless of the fact that Noah beat him up."

"Maybe Santana needs to kick his ass," Quinn suggested.

"That's the thing," Rachel sighed. "I can't even talk to her about this without her going completely homicidal. I was more shaken than I care to admit when I saw him today and if I tell her she might literally kill him." She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I love how protective she is of me and you and Britt. And even Puck. Her protective side is one of the many things I love about her."

"But she can go overboard," Quinn supplied.

"A little." Rachel nodded.

"You should talk to her," Quinn suggested. "I'll listen if you want to talk to me, but either way she needs to know how you feel about Max and about how she tends to get a little overzealous."

Rachel nodded. "Thanks, Quinn."

Quinn gave her a warm smile and looked up when she heard the door swing open.

Santana strode in with three cups of jello and three plastic spoons. "Who rocks as much as me?" She handed one to each of the other girls and kept the third for herself.

"Apparently no one," Quinn answered with a smile, pulling the top off her treat and sampling it. "Thanks, S."

"No problem."

"So what else is going on?" Quinn asked.

Rachel remained quiet and glanced at her girlfriend, wondering if she would share the news about her father. She didn't have to wait long.

"My dad wants to have lunch with me." Santana kept her eyes trained on the end of the spoon that she was lightly stabbing into the jello repeatedly.

Quinn stared at her for a moment before shooting Rachel a concerned frown. "Are you going to go?"

The cheerleader raised a slim shoulder in a shrug, her lips pursing. "Is it bad that I want to?"

"Will you hate me if I say yes?" Quinn asked. "San, he was terrible to you."

"Your mom kicked you out, Q!" Santana pointed out. "You let her back into your life the minute she crawled back. How is it any different?"

"My mom never broke my arm grabbing me," Quinn shot back. "She never gave me a black eye for talking back."

"Shut the hell up about it," Santana nearly growled. "He's been sober for a year and he's trying."

"I'm not saying anything that isn't true," Quinn told her softly. "And I'm not saying any of this just to be a bitch. I worry about you and this whole idea makes me nervous."

"Yeah well I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself," Santana grumbled.

"Don't be pissed, S," Quinn told her, a hint of a smile on her lips. "It's only because I love you."

Santana rolled her eyes, a sigh huffing from her lips. "Whatever. Are you finished being mushy?"

"Yes."

"Good," Santana relented, her anger melting away as she sat on the end of the bed. Rachel settled into a chair next to the bed and the two of them filled Quinn in on everything that had been going on in the outside world without her.

**XX**

A.N. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!


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